Sn3ll

Photo by Irham Setyaki on Unsplash

The world of generative AI is moving at an incredible pace, with Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator being one of the most popular and innovative tools in this space. However, as with any technology, there are always trade-offs between quality and quantity, and users have been complaining about the degradation in output since the model was upgraded to DALL-E 3 on December 18th. In a surprising move, Microsoft has decided to roll back the upgrade and revert to an older version of the model, citing issues with user complaints. But what exactly happened, and what does this mean for the future of AI art?

The Rise and Fall of Bing Image Creator’s DALL-E 3 Upgrade

Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator was initially released with a user-friendly interface that allowed users to generate AI art with ease. The tool quickly gained popularity, with many users praising its ability to create high-quality images. However, when the model was upgraded to DALL-E 3 in December, users began to notice a significant decline in output quality. Complaints flooded social media platforms and online forums, with users expressing disappointment at the degradation in detail and accuracy of the generated images.

• The complaints ranged from issues with color accuracy and details to problems with fabric rendering on anime-style characters. Some users even compared the machine’s output to what they imagined it should create, effectively becoming AI art critics.

As soon as Ribas posted about the change in December, there were complaints that Bing Image Creator was producing less-detailed results or images that didn’t accurately reflect their prompts. In his initial replies, Ribas said the model’s output quality “should be a bit better on average” than before.

Screenshot: OpenAI community forum

One user even posted a side-by-side comparison of two images, with the left image showing perfect quality and the right image being over-lit.

Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash

The Consequences of Degradation in Output Quality

The decision to roll back the upgrade has significant consequences for Microsoft, OpenAI, and users alike. It shows that even with advanced technology like AI art generators, quality control is crucial, and users will not tolerate subpar output. Moreover, this incident highlights the growing importance of user feedback and criticism in shaping the development of these tools.

• User expectations are shifting towards higher-quality outputs, making it essential for developers to prioritize quality control and ensure that their models meet or exceed user standards.
• The incident also underscores the need for more transparency and communication between developers, users, and artists whose work the generators were trained on. This will help manage client expectations and provide a better understanding of what can be achieved with these tools.

As AI technology continues to evolve, it’s clear that quality control and user satisfaction will become increasingly important factors in its development. Microsoft’s decision to roll back the upgrade serves as a reminder that users are the ultimate judges of quality, and their feedback should be taken seriously.