Goggle-eyed monsters photographed on Jersey's shore

Monday 13 February 2023

A series of freakish creatures have been photographed lurking near Jersey's coast... but where have they come from?

If the following photographs are to be believed, then it seems that Jersey's beaches have become the regular haunts to some cosmically peculiar creatures.

Luckily for swimmers and surfers, not everything is as it seems. 

Pictured: A terrifying monster and some curiously calm beach-goers.

While these photographs were taken by Jersey filmmaker Philip Clyde-Smith, the terrifying creatures that dominate each image are artistic creations. However, they have not been painstakingly designed by an graphic artist - at least not a human one. 

The images have been generated using an AI generator. Such generators use artificial intelligence to turn text prompts into fully fleshed-out images. The AI can do this with with any prompt imaginable - and can even imitate the style of famous artists.

Philip's inspiration was simple: "The monsters were inspired by films like Monster Inc... What if large monsters just naturally exist and are not scary? That's where I started."

Fears abound that these AI generators may soon put creative people out of a job. However, for Philip, whose filmmaking career has seen him work on music videos, adverts and branded content, doesn't seem to think so.

Pictured: An AI generated monster lurking around town.

He said: "I've always wanted to be able to create a new world within the world we live in currently. AI has allowed me to do this. Photoshopping AI images into photos of mine is creating something.

"In my day job, I am a filmmaker working in TV commercials and branded content. We have started using AI-generated imagery to help kickstart the creative process on jobs.

"It's an incredible tool and yes it will change how things are made going forwards, but I don't think it'll replace creative people. It's just another tool.

"I could be totally wrong, but the genie is out of the bottle so you may as well embrace it. There's already a new job, 'prompt engineer'!"