You need to try Google's ImageFX AI image generator

Google has opened up its ImageFX tool to the general public with revamped safeguards and restrictions. The AI image generation tool has been available in a limited capacity for a while and has had its share of controversy. Now everyone can see what all the fuss is about.

And you should. Especially if you've never used this type of tool before.

AI is the buzzword of the year but there are real tools out there that are using it effectively. Trying to ignore it may be understandable, but sometimes it's worthwhile to face a thing head-on and see what it's really about.

There are plenty of AI tools that do the same thing, and some of them might be better at it than Google's. It's not like this is anything new or groundbreaking. I'm not suggesting you try it out because it's something different.

It is something really cool, though. How these things work is you tell it what type of image to create, submit your idea, and wait for a bit. 10-30 seconds later (Imagen 3 is pretty fast) it tosses out a sample image or two. This is how most of these tools work.

What makes Google's offering different is that you already have a login to use it and, as of now, there's no sort of waiting list or charges involved. Visit Google's AI Test Kitchen website, sign into the Google account you already have, and start telling ImageFX to make art. It works on both a computer and a phone so it's easy to use.

It's fun. And if you've never used this type of tool, it's pretty amazing. Google has a set of rules about what images can be created and if you get too wild you might get a message that denies your request. Even so, Google does warn you that "AI outputs may sometimes be offensive or inaccurate" because they can. AI is often easy to fool.

There's another good reason to check out a tool like ImageFX. In 2024, especially since it's an election year, you're going to be inundated with fake AI-generated images. You're also going to see false claims that images were generated by AI. It is the nature of the beast.

The best way to better understand what can and can't be done using AI is to play with it yourself. It's shockingly easy to create a potentially embarrassing or compromising image of anyone using AI tools and you've seen at least one. You might not have known it was AI-generated.

Becoming familiar with AI image-generating tools is the best way to understand and try to discern if a "photo" is the real deal or a fake. Since not every company's offering has the types of restrictions Google does when it comes to acceptable use some of this stuff can cause harm.

While professionals and pro-level tools for AI imagery exist, tools like ImageFX make it easy for everyone to try their hand at it. And a lot of people are doing it. Spending some time having fun and becoming familiar with tools like this can help you sort the wheat from the chaff.