#Future of web design with AI

[markonikau121]

Will AI Take Over Web Design and Development?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, and the web design and development sector is no exception. From automating repetitive tasks to generating designs in minutes, AI is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. But as AI grows more sophisticated, a crucial question arises: Will AI take over web design and development entirely? This blog explores the role of AI in web design, its potential to reshape the industry, and what the future holds for web developers and designers.

Will AI Take Over Web Design?

AI has already made significant strides in automating various aspects of web design. Tools like Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) and Adobe Sensei can create visually appealing websites in just a few clicks. These platforms analyze user preferences, industry trends, and design principles to deliver tailored results.

However, while AI can efficiently handle repetitive and rule-based tasks, it still lacks the creativity and human intuition that define exceptional web design. The emotional connection, storytelling, and unique brand identity embedded in custom web designs are elements that AI struggles to replicate. Instead of taking over entirely, AI is more likely to act as a complementary tool, enhancing the capabilities of human designers.

AI in Web Development

AI’s role in web development is growing rapidly. From coding assistants like GitHub Copilot to automated testing tools, AI is streamlining processes and reducing development time. These advancements are particularly beneficial for smaller businesses or individuals with limited budgets, as they can leverage AI-powered platforms to create functional websites without requiring advanced technical skills.

However, complex projects with intricate requirements still demand the expertise of professional developers. AI, while intelligent, lacks the ability to interpret nuanced client needs or solve unique challenges. Instead, it provides support by improving efficiency and minimizing errors.

The Future of Web Design with AI

The future of web design will likely see AI and human creativity working hand in hand. AI will continue to handle tasks such as generating layouts, resizing images, and optimizing user interfaces. Meanwhile, designers will focus on high-level conceptualization, creating unique experiences that resonate with users on a deeper level.

AI might also pave the way for hyper-personalized web experiences. By analyzing user behavior and preferences, AI can tailor websites to meet individual needs, delivering more engaging and relevant interactions. The collaboration between AI and human designers will redefine web design as we know it, merging efficiency with creativity.

AI-Driven Web Design

AI-driven web design is already a reality, with tools that allow even non-designers to create professional-looking websites. Platforms like Squarespace and Elementor use AI to suggest design elements, layouts, and color schemes based on the user’s input. These tools make web design more accessible and cost-effective.

While this democratization is a positive development, it also means that competition in the web design industry will increase. To stand out, designers will need to focus on creativity, innovation, and delivering unique user experiences that AI cannot replicate.

AI Tools for Web Development

AI tools are becoming indispensable in web development. Here are some popular ones:

GitHub Copilot: Assists developers by suggesting code snippets and automating repetitive tasks.

Figma AI: Helps designers streamline prototyping and collaboration.

ChatGPT API: Powers chatbots for enhanced user engagement.

Adobe XD: Uses AI to automate design adjustments and provide layout suggestions.

Google Lighthouse: Analyzes and optimizes website performance with AI-driven insights.

These tools save time, reduce errors, and enhance productivity, but they also emphasize the importance of human oversight to ensure quality and originality.

Artificial Intelligence in Website Design

AI is revolutionizing website design by automating processes and making data-driven decisions. For instance, AI can analyze user behavior to determine which design elements are most effective. It can also generate responsive layouts that adapt seamlessly to different devices.

However, there are limitations. AI cannot yet understand the cultural, emotional, and psychological factors that influence design decisions. These elements require a human touch, emphasizing the need for collaboration between AI and human designers.

The Role of AI in Web Development

AI’s primary role in web development is to augment human capabilities. It helps developers work faster and smarter by automating mundane tasks and offering predictive solutions. For example, AI-powered algorithms can identify bugs, suggest fixes, and even predict potential security vulnerabilities.

Rather than replacing developers, AI acts as a valuable assistant, allowing them to focus on more complex and creative aspects of development. This synergy enhances both productivity and innovation in the field.

Impact of AI on the Web Design Industry

The impact of AI on the web design industry is profound. It has lowered barriers to entry, enabling more people to create websites without specialized knowledge. However, this also means that professional designers and developers must adapt to stay relevant.

To thrive in an AI-driven industry, professionals need to:

Embrace AI tools and integrate them into their workflows.

Focus on creativity and problem-solving skills that AI cannot replicate.

Offer personalized solutions that go beyond standard templates.

By leveraging AI as a tool rather than viewing it as a competitor, the industry can continue to innovate and grow.

Web Development Automation with AI

Automation is one of AI’s biggest contributions to web development. Tasks like coding, testing, and debugging are becoming more streamlined, reducing time and costs. For instance, AI algorithms can generate code snippets or optimize existing code for better performance.

While automation increases efficiency, it also highlights the need for skilled developers to oversee and refine these processes. AI can perform tasks quickly, but it still requires human judgment to ensure the final product meets client expectations and industry standards.

AI Replacing Web Developers: Myth or Reality?

The idea that AI will replace web developers is largely a myth. While AI can automate specific tasks, it cannot replace the creativity, intuition, and problem-solving abilities that developers bring to the table. Complex projects, unique branding requirements, and bespoke functionalities will always need human expertise.

Instead of fearing replacement, developers should focus on upskilling and learning how to collaborate with AI tools. This approach will ensure they remain indispensable in an evolving industry.

Conclusion:AI is undoubtedly reshaping web design and development, offering new possibilities and efficiencies. However, it is not a replacement for human talent but a tool to enhance it. By combining the power of AI with human creativity, businesses can achieve remarkable results.

For those looking to harness the best of AI and human expertise, partnering with a professional agency is essential. Markonik, the best website design and development company in Australia, specializes in blending innovative AI solutions with creative strategies to deliver exceptional websites. Whether you need a simple website or a complex platform, Markonik can help you stay ahead in the digital landscape.

[pixelizes]

The Evolution of UI/UX

From Skeuomorphism to Neumorphism & Beyond

User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design have undergone a remarkable transformation over the years. From the early days of skeuomorphism to the sleek, modern neumorphism, the way we interact with digital interfaces continues to evolve. In this blog, we explore the history, key transitions, and the future of UI/UX design.

For more design insights, visit our UI/UX blog collection.

The Era of Skeuomorphism: Making Digital Feel Familiar

What is Skeuomorphism? Skeuomorphism is a design approach that mimics real-world objects and textures to make digital interfaces more intuitive. This style was widely used in the early days of computing and mobile apps.

Key Characteristics:

Realistic textures and shadows (e.g., leather-bound calendar apps, glossy buttons)

3D effects and depth

Gradients and detailed illustrations

Why It Was Popular: Skeuomorphic design helped users transition from physical to digital interfaces by offering a familiar look and feel. Early Apple iOS interfaces exemplified this approach.

Downfall: As mobile-first design became the norm, these visuals began to feel outdated and cluttered.

The Rise of Flat Design: A Minimalist Revolution

What is Flat Design? Flat design focused on simplicity and usability by eliminating 3D effects and textures.

Key Characteristics:

Clean, minimalist layouts

Bold colors and sharp edges

Simple, legible typography

No shadows or depth

Why It Became the Standard: With better performance and mobile responsiveness, companies like Google and Microsoft embraced flat design, helping it become mainstream.

Material Design: Adding Depth Back

What is Material Design? Material Design by Google blends flat design with depth and motion to create more intuitive interactions.

Key Characteristics:

Soft shadows and layering

Card-based structure

Fluid animations

Emphasis on usability and feedback

This hybrid approach improved UX without sacrificing performance.

The Neumorphism Trend: A Fusion of Old and New

What is Neumorphism? Neumorphism, or “New Skeuomorphism,” combines depth and simplicity, giving UI components a soft, tactile appearance.

Key Characteristics:

Embossed look with soft shadows

Muted color palettes

Minimalist yet interactive elements

Rounded corners and subtle gradients

Why It’s Trending: Neumorphism aligns well with dark mode, reducing eye strain and enhancing modern UI elements. However, it faces criticism over accessibility and contrast limitations.

Beyond Neumorphism: The Future of UI/UX

The future of UI/UX is shaped by emerging technologies and evolving user expectations:

Glassmorphism: Popularized by macOS and Windows 11, it adds frosted glass effects and layered transparency.

AI-Powered Design: Adaptive interfaces using AI in UX to anticipate user needs.

AR & VR: Transforming navigation, e-commerce, and gaming with immersive experiences.

Sustainable & Ethical Design: Prioritizing accessibility, energy efficiency, and inclusive digital experiences.

Final Thoughts

UI/UX design has evolved from skeuomorphic realism to flat simplicity, material fluidity, and now to neumorphic softness. As technology and user behaviors continue to change, designers must focus on creating digital products that are not only beautiful but also intuitive and inclusive.

Stay ahead of the curve—explore more on Pixelizes for design trends, resources, and tips that shape the future of UI/UX.

[lordsmerchantco]

UX/UI Best Practices for E-Commerce Platforms in 2025

Table of Contents Introduction to UX/UI for E-Commerce in 2025 Why UX/UI Matters in E-Commerce Success Key UX/UI Trends for E-Commerce in 2025 AI and Automation in UX/UI Design Essential UX/UI Best Practices for E-Commerce a. Mobile-First Design b. Simplified Navigation & Search c. Personalization & AI Recommendations d. High-Speed Performance & Load Time Optimization e. Secure &…

[aihelpwithsj]

Leonardo.AI seeks: Transforming creativity with AI tools

Introduction

Creativity and innovation are constantly evolving in today’s fast-paced digital world. One of the most exciting ai tools developments in artificial intelligence is Leonardo.AI—a platform designed to scale and redefine how we perform creative tasks.

Whether you’re an artist, developer, or just an enthusiast looking for new ways to bring your ideas to life, Leonardo.AI offers a fantastic array of tools to support your journey. But what makes Leonardo.AI so special? Let’s dive into its benefits and find out why it’s gaining traction among creative professionals.

What is Leonardo.AI?

Leonardo.AI is an advanced platform that uses artificial intelligence to streamline and optimize the creative process. By integrating state-of-the-art AI tools, Leonardo.AI helps users create high-quality products from digital art designs to captions with minimal effort from the Platform user-friendly, making it accessible to beginners while giving experienced users access to complex content professionals.

Some of the art which i have created from it are below:

Leonardo.A.I

1. Enhanced creativity

Leonardo.AI acts as a catalyst for creativity. Whether you’re brainstorming ideas for a new project or looking for a unique design, the platform provides suggestions and results that inspire and elevate your business.

2. Time management

Gone are the days of countless hours of routine tasks. With its AI tools, Leonardo.AI automates the mundane, allowing users to focus on what really matters—creativity and innovation.

3. Cost-effective solution

Hiring a team of designers or investing in expensive software can put a strain on your bottom line. Leonardo.AI offers inexpensive options without compromising quality, making it cost-effective.

4. User-friendly interface

The platform’s intuitive interface ensures that users can effortlessly navigate and use its features regardless of their technical skills.

5. Multiple processing

From creating stunning graphics to editing text, Leonardo.AI is a versatile tool that meets a wide range of creative needs.

Who can benefit from Leonardo.AI?

Leonardo.AI is the best:

Artists and Designers: Make unique designs and explore creative possibilities.

Content creation: Engaging content is created with AI-assisted writing and design tools.

Professional: Enhance your branding and marketing efforts with professional images.

Students and teachers: Simplify coursework and presentations.

Find out more with AI Tools

If you’re interested in the power of Leonardo.AI and want to learn more about how AI tools can transform your business, visit aihelpwithsj.com Find a treasure trove of insights, tips and features designed to help you get the most out of AI-powered solutions.

In conclusion,

Leonardo.AI is a game-changer in the world of creative technologies. With its robust features, user-friendly design and endless possibilities, it’s no wonder it’s quickly becoming a favorite for professionals and enthusiasts alike so why wait ? Dive into the world of Leonardo.AI today and unlock your creativity!

If you want to know more about leonardo.ai then read this

Leonardo.AI: Evolutionary tool in the world of AI

[marrywillson]

Explore the best responsive web design framework for modern websites and discover the future of React Native in enhancing the user experience.

[sjainventuresltd]

The Future of Website Development and Emerging Trends

[the-harvest-field]

Revolutionizing Software Design: Unleashing the Power of AI Technology

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has emerged as a transformative force, revolutionizing numerous industries, and software design is no exception. This advanced technology has empowered software designers, developers, and engineers with a myriad of tools and capabilities that have elevated the entire software development process. From improved efficiency and enhanced user experiences to…

[mostlysignssomeportents]

AI art has no anti-cooption immune system

TONIGHT (July 20), I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

One thing Myspace had going for it: it was exuberantly ugly. The decision to let users with no design training loose on a highly customizable user-interface led to a proliferation of Myspace pages that vibrated with personality.

The ugliness of Myspace wasn't just exciting in a kind of outsider/folk-art way (though it was that). Myspace's ugliness was an anti-cooption force-field, because corporate designers and art-directors would, by and large, rather break their fingers and gouge out their eyes than produce pages that looked like that.

In this regard, Myspace was the heir to successive generations of "design democratization" that gave amateur communities, especially countercultural ones, a space to operate in where authentic community members could be easily distinguished between parasitic commercializers.

The immediate predecessors to Myspace's ugliness-as-a-feature were the web, and desktop publishing. Between the img tag, imagemaps, the blink tag, animated GIFs, and the million ways that you could weird a page with tables and padding, the early web was positively bursting with individual personality. The early web balanced in an equilibrium between the plunder-friendliness of "view source" and the topsy-turvy design imperatives of web-based layout, which confounded both print designers (no fixed fonts! RGB colorspaces! dithering!) and even multimedia designers who'd cut their teeth on Hypercard and CD ROMs (no fixed layout!).

Before the web came desktop publishing, the million tractor-feed ransom notes combining Broderbund Print Shop fonts, joystick-edited pixel-art, and a cohort of enthusiasts ranging from punk zinesters to community newsletter publishers. As this work proliferated on coffee-shop counters and telephone poles, it was visibly, obviously distinct from the work produced by "real" designers – that is, designers who'd been a) trained and b) paid by a corporation to employ that training.

All of this matters, and not just for aesthetic reasons. Communities – especially countercultural ones – are where our society's creative ferment starts. Getting your start in the trenches of the counterculture wars is no proof against being co-opted later (indeed, many of the designers who cut their teeth desktop publishing weird zines went on to pull their hair and roll their eyes at the incredible fuggliness of the web). But without that zone of noncommercial, antiestablishment, communitarian low weirdness, design and culture would stagnate.

I started thinking about this 25 years ago, the first time I met William Gibson. I'd been assigned by the Globe and Mail to interview him for the launch of All Tomorrow's Parties:

https://craphound.com/nonfic/transcript.html

One of the questions I asked was about his famous aphorism, "The street finds its own use for things." Given how quickly each post-punk tendency had been absorbed by commercial culture, couldn't we say that "Madison Avenue finds its own use for the street"? His answer started me down a quarter-century of thinking and writing about this subject:

I worry about what we'll do in the future, [about the instantaneous co-opting of pop culture]. Where is our new stuff going to come from? What we're doing pop culturally is like burning the rain forest. The biodiversity of pop culture is really, really in danger. I didn't see it coming until a few years ago, but looking back it's very apparent.

I watch a sort of primitive form of the recommodification machine around my friends and myself in sixties, and it took about two years for this clumsy mechanism to get and try to sell us The Monkees.

In 1977, it took about eight months for a slightly faster more refined mechanism to put punk in the window of Holt Renfrew. It's gotten faster ever since. The scene in Seattle that Nirvana came from: as soon as it had a label, it was on the runways of Paris.

Ugliness, transgressiveness and shock all represent an incoherent, grasping attempt to keep the world out of your demimonde – not just normies and squares, but also and especially enthusiastic marketers who want to figure out how to sell stuff to you, and use you to sell stuff to normies and squares.

I think this is what drove a lot of people to 4chan (remember, before 4chan was famous for incubating neofascism, it was the birthplace of Anonymous): its shock culture, combined with a strong cultural norm of anonymity, made for a difficult-to-digest, thoroughly spiky morsel that resisted recommodification (for a while).

All of this brings me to AI art (or AI "art"). In his essay on the "eerieness" of AI art, Henry Farrell quotes Mark Fisher's "The Weird and the Eerie":

https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/large-language-models-are-uncanny

"Eeriness" here is defined as "when there is something present where there should be nothing, or is there is nothing present when there should be something." AI is eerie because it produces the seeming of intent, without any intender:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/13/spooky-action-at-a-close-up/#invisible-hand

When we contemplate "authentic" countercultural work – ransom-note DTP, the weird old web, seizure-inducing Myspace GIFs – it is arresting because the personality of the human entity responsible for it shines through. We might be able to recognize where that person ganked their source-viewed HTML or pixel-optimized GIF, but we can also make inferences about the emotional meaning of those choices. To see that work is to connect to a mind. That mind might not necessarily belong to someone you want to be friends with or ever meet in person, but it is unmistakably another person, and you can't help but learn something about yourself from the way that their work makes you feel.

This is why corporate work is so often called "soulless." The point of corporate art is to dress the artificial person of the corporation in the stolen skins of the humans it uses as its substrate. Corporations are potentially immortal, artificial colony organisms. They maintain the pretense of personality, but they have no mind, only action that is the crescendo of an orchestra of improvised instruments played by hundreds or thousands of employees and a handful of executives who are often working directly against one another:

https://locusmag.com/2022/03/cory-doctorow-vertically-challenged/

The corporation is – as Charlie Stross has it – the "slow AI" that is slowly converting our planet to the long-prophesied grey goo (or, more prosaically, wildfire ashes and boiled oceans). The real thing that is signified by CEOs' professed fears of runaway AI is runaway corporations. As Ted Chiang says, the experience of being nominally in charge of a corporation that refuses to do what you tell it to is the kind of thing that will give you nightmares about autonomous AI turning on its masters:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/09/autocomplete-worshippers/#the-real-ai-was-the-corporations-that-we-fought-along-the-way

The job of corporate designers is to find the signifiers of authenticity and dress up the corporate entity's robotic imperatives in this stolen flesh. Everything about AI is done in service to this goal: the chatbots that replace customer service reps are meant to both perfectly mimic a real, competent corporate representative while also hewing perfectly to corporate policy, without ever betraying the real human frailties that none of us can escape.

In the same way, the shillbots that pretend to be corporate superfans online are supposed to perfectly amplify the corporate message, the slow AI's conception of its own virtues, without injecting their own off-script, potentially cringey enthusiasms.

The Hollywood writers' strike was, at root, about the studio execs' dream that they could convert the "insights" of focus groups and audience research into a perfect script, without having to go through a phalanx of lippy screenwriters who insisted on explaining why they think your idea is stupid. "Hey, nerd, make me another ET, except make the hero a dog, and set it on Mars" is exactly how you prompt an AI:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/20/everything-made-by-an-ai-is-in-the-public-domain/

Corporate design's job is to produce the seeming of intention without any intender. The "personality" we're meant to sense when we encounter corporate design isn't the designer's, nor the art director's, nor even the CEO's. The "personality" is meant to be the slow AI's, but a corporation doesn't have a personality.

In his 2018 short story "Noon in the antilibrary," Karl Schroeder describes an "antilibrary" as an endlessly deep anaerobic lagoon of generative botshit:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/08/18/104097/noon-in-the-antilibrary/

The antilibrary is a generative AI system that can produce entire librarys’-worth of fake books with fake authors, fake citations by other fake experts with their own fake books and biographies and fake social media accounts, on-demand and instantly. It was speculation in 2018; it’s possible now. Creating an antilibrary is just a matter of investing in a sufficient number of graphics cards and electricity.

https://kschroeder.substack.com/p/after-the-internet

Reading Karl's reflections on the antilibrary crystallized something for me that I've been thinking about for a quarter-century, since I interviewed Gibson at the Penguin offices in north Toronto. It snapped something into place that I've trying to fit since encountering Henry's thoughts on the "eeriness" of AI work and the intent without an intender.

It made me realize why I dislike AI art so much, on a deep, aesthetic level. The point of an image generator is to buffer the intention of the prompter (which might be genuinely creative and bursting with personality) in layers of automated decision-making that flense the final product of any hint of the mind that caused its creation.

The most febrile, deeply weird and authentic prompts of the most excluded outsiders produce images that feel the same as the corporate AI illustrations that project the illusion of personality from the immortal, transhuman colony organism that is the limited liability corporation.

AI art is born coopted. Even the 4chan equivalent of AI – the deeply transgressive and immoral nonconsensual pornography – feels no different from the "official" AI porn churned out by "real" pornographers. "Shrimp Jesus" and other SEO-optimized Facebook slop is so uncanny because it is simultaneously "weird" ("that which does not belong") and yet it belongs in the same aesthetic bucket of the most anodyne Corporate Memphis ephemera:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Memphis

We call it "generative" but AI art can't generate the kind of turnover that aerates the aesthetic soil. An artform that can't be transgressive is sterile, stillborn, a dead end.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/20/ransom-note-force-field/#antilibraries

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

--

Jake (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1970s_fanzines_(21224199545).jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

[charseraph]

what do your tags mean?

Definitions and directory

#pink aesthetic — Definition.

#destinations — Surreal scenes and backdrops, both visual and written, implied and explicitly described, varying degrees of abstract.

#ambiguous in a 🌅 kind of way — Glowing and dark forms, presences, and structures.

#fashion — Objects worn by humanity. Clothing, accessories, tattoos, vehicles, weapons, book sleeves, and certain architecture. Graphics that could be used as textile or inspiration for an avant-garde fashion line.

#shoes that can and will kill you: viewer or wearer — Novel shoes or forms that could inspire shoe design. Killing is defined both as injury and awe.

#returnful — Heartache and longing.

#speakerbreaker — Cybersigilism, aggrogoth, anothergraphic.org type text distortion. Frequent chrome and glassy material.

#proctor godlike — Posts that embody the attitude or appearance of or about proctor gods, benevolent but ominous overseers/representatives/indicators of some aspect of reality.

#bad endinglike — Posts that capture an aspect of Bad Ending, my militaristic sci fi setting. Military aircraft, skinned animals, dark buildings, strange technology, fuzzy and sharp graphs and censors, black and white.

#sundownlike — Posts that capture an aspect of Sundown, my setting in the distant future where most stars have died and all organic sophonts have gone extinct. Dark expanses, light rays, orbits, faint stars, rainbows in the dark.

#boalike — Posts that reflects one of four ideas of my setting BOA: machines that could be sentient, how humans would interact with sentient machines, how they would be depicted in art, and the complexity and colors of a theoretical BOA diagram.

#crownlike — What crown fashion, technology, architecture, and sentiments look like. Snowy deserts, pale and black brutalism, fashion, and electronics, blotchy calligraphic asemic, puffer material, solid primary color shapes.

#boxkitelike — Same for boxkites. Graphics like dewy spider webs. Clashing colors. Blobs and radial symmetry.

#towerlike — Same for towers. Dense rectangular repetitive monochrome graphics and jaxlike forms.

#trumpetlike — Same for trumpets. Smooth red and unfocused organic noise.

#wardlike — Same for wards. Inhospitable brutalism, foggy grasslands, and concrete tubes.

#unnamed supercomputer — What a Humans of New York style compendium of random seedlets (sophont AI) in my optimistic sci-fi setting would look like.

#lovecore — Posts that exhibit or inspire love.

#I look like this — Personal aesthetic.

@speakerbroke Aesthetic blog that compiles the best of speakerbreaker, ambiguous, I look like this, and the like.

[yasirmukhtar]

Beyond Technical Skills

Baru-baru ini, World Economic Forum (WEF) merilis Future of Jobs Report 2030. Laporan ini mengungkapkan prediksi menarik: 92 juta pekerjaan akan hilang, tapi 170 juta pekerjaan baru bakal muncul!

92 juta pekerjaan yang bakal hilang ini kebanyakan pekerjaan administratif yang bakal digantikan otomatisasi. Misalnya kasir, penjaga tiket, bahkan akuntan sama auditor. Sementara 170 juta lowongan baru ini lebih ke arah teknologi dan energi terbarukan - kayak big data specialist, software engineers, sama UX designer (wohoo!).

McKinsey pun punya prediksi serupa: sampai 2030, 75-375 juta orang bakal perlu belajar skill baru dan ganti profesi. Sebenernya tren ini udah predictable sih, gak terlalu mengejutkan.

Tapi munculnya generative AI (gen AI) bikin saya was-was. Rasanya AI ini malah mempercepat prediksi yang udah ada. Awalnya saya skeptis, berpikir AI gak bakal bisa sepintar itu menggantikan manusia di bidang kreatif. Nyatanya? AI udah bisa bikin video, gambar, musik, tulisan - hal-hal yang kita pikir cuma bisa dilakukan manusia!

Di bidang saya sendiri, saya udah liat AI bisa bikin deliverables kayak sitemap dan wireframe. Tinggal nunggu waktu sampe AI bisa bikin desain web sama aplikasi yang high fidelity.

Yang bikin saya khawatir bukan soal bakal digantikan, tapi generasi saya dan generasi di bawah saya yang kayaknya belum sadar ada "pergeseran tektonik" gara-gara AI, khususnya gen AI.

Di era tech spring Indonesia (2012-2021), lowongan kerja banyak banget tapi yang qualified dikit. Sekarang dengan gen AI, gap antara industri sama pendidikan bakal makin melebar. Lowongan kerja bakal makin selektif, makin butuh skill tinggi, sementara talenta yang bener-bener siap cuma segelintir.

Contohnya, desainer yang cuma "jualan" kemampuan merancang desain bakal rentan digantikan AI yang bisa generate website dalam hitungan detik. Tapi desainer yang punya critical thinking, empati, berpikir sistematis, sama bisa bangun relasi - mereka bakal fokus ke aspek strategis yang belum bisa disentuh AI.

Skill-skill dasar ini penting, tapi gak semenawan bootcamp atau ebook yang janjiin gaji gede. Padahal skill foundational kayak critical thinking, problem solving, interpersonal skills, mental flexibility, systems thinking, self awareness, sama literasi teknologi itu yang bener-bener valuable - tak lekang waktu dan bisa dipake di berbagai industri.

Di era AI ini, kita gak bisa cuma jadi penonton. Kita harus jadi pemain. Belajar, adaptasi, sama terus-terusan upgrade skill. Bukan soal kalah atau menang sama AI, tapi bagaimana kita bisa naik level dengan menggunakan teknologi baru ini.

Stay curious, stay hungry!

[tonix3]

will you do an observer post?? I like hearing different takes. loved your summary of lous electric show and what was happening on x

Hello 🙋🏻‍♀️ I wanted to make a post about The Observer for the past few days but had no time. Today I found @delicateperspective post on it and think this sheds really good light on it already and I agree with the conclusions and observations included in the post.

I'll give my opinion and a shorter summary nonetheless because I wanted it in a post for archiving purposes anyway. I'll add my screenshots and thoughts I had throughout the first few days and maybe I do an additional post when the profile is debunked/deleted or whatever conclusion comes of this. I'm in for the ride. 🙌🏻

I'll start with: I was intrigued in the beginning ...

I was alerted through a mutual on my timeline fairly early when only 21 people (22 me included) followed. I 'Google Lens'ed the 369 pfp and the header coming up with no results. (meaning it's AI generated pics or original designs, nothing that's already circulating on the web)

I thought the first post including faith in the future and the profile following LTHQ and Louis is pretty obvious who the profile user wants to be perceived as. (Maybe a bit too obvious for a riddle or an announcement acc. Maybe the profile owner wants it to be obvious?)

'Listen carefully everything begins again.' - What begins again?

Day 1 the 369 disappears from pfp but I didn't see it had the 1 on the pfp - I just thought the 369 disappeared, only saw it on day 2 when I saw the two and someone showed a ss of the 1.

I looked at the screens and recognized the placement resembles a dartboard (Thanks Dad 🎯) and the TL thought the same. I was sold it really could be the announcement for AFHF.

Day 3: I felt different. The post got me pretty emotional (which I discussed with my GC)

I felt .. it's pretty unfair if it's not Louis'/his team to play with fans (larries or in general) feelings making it sound like he wants to erase/change his past and kinda fears for his future..?

Later the Rolling Stone interview dropped and I was kinda baffled about some of things Louis said. We already knew he sees stuff but I found it interesting that he admitted to lurking and having 'a birds eye view' right now - I mean that's observing, right? - I wrote in my GC:

birds eye view 👁️ interesting choice of words

Day 4 & 5: I just ss but had no interesting thoughts. I saw people pointing out the connection to Harry's door acc.

Day 6 & 7: Why the Unknown? Sometimes the random post, sometimes the numbered day + time

and now day + unknown? (I also thought pretty weirdly shaped 7?)

The deleted tweet only few saw: I read about it on the TL later and managed to get a ss from a moot .. I didn't sit down at that time to make sense of the added numbers we don't already know in the fandom. But I saw people discussing it to be maybe important dates.

So before I went to bed this happened: and the pfp changed to a more zoomed out version. Interesting.

Day 8: people said it really sounds like AFHF.

Before I went to bed we got a 'dating article' (rumours) and I stayed up a bit but slept when The Observer posted the 'fabricates fairytales' post. Saw it in the morning and thought: if Louis/his team would be behind it, The Observer should have hinted at the incoming news beforehand. It would've made it more believable and credible like my lovely friend @fookinhellcurlyyy and I agreed on. (one screenshot is from our GC)

And the account followed AFHF just recently so. Also weird.

Conclusion and final thoughts for now:

I had mixed feelings about this. Some days I was sold on it being Louis/some announcement acc but after a week of this I'm leaning towards scam. Everything is too much and sometimes still too cryptic.

Some posts really sound like AI generated quotes.

So be safe everyone, right now it's fun but we don't know what the intentions behind the account are. Is it an anti trying to make us look bad or playing with our feels? Is it a fellow larrie?

It has to be someone deep into the lore, that's for sure. I would love for it to really be Louis/his team making an announcement or promo but right now it looks kind of scammy to be honest.

TO BE CONTINUED PEEPS ✨

[queerbrownvegan]

ICE Raids Are A Climate Issue

I am disgusted by the recent ICE raids happening in my hometown in Los Angeles. As a proud immigrant kid, my parents raised me on the principles of compassion, diversity, and resilience. But in recent years, the subject of immigration has continued to worsen, with people seeing immigrants as the issue rather than the system designed to serve a select few individuals.

The palatero man, the woman who sells roses on the corner of the freeway, the cleaners, the people who pick and make our food will constantly be labeled as criminals. Yet, they contribute to the economy for low wages and are disrespected by the average American. These people to me are environmentalists. They are what made my experience of environmentalism holistic and intersectional by watching over me, humanizing me, and their daily “buenos dias” as I took the LA Metro to school.

Growing up in extreme poverty shaped my relationship and love for the world. Immigrants were the ones who kept me safe from the cruel world that tried to make me assimilate into a culture of uniformity, whiteness, and individualism. It reminded me that humanity is within all of us, but can easily be misappropriated when people redirect their hatred from a system that is failing to a group of hard-working people wanting a better life.

Just this past week, I have been in tears from extended family members and friends from my community texting me from London, sharing with me how scared they are and why extremists have taken such an obsession over their livelihoods when they are simply trying to live a safe and prosperous life. I don’t know how we are supposed to handle these heavy emotions during these times when we are living in a state of loss, anger, and institutional distrust from our governments and elected officials. I feel broken inside.

The truth is that I am pissed myself. I feel helpless. I get angry when my ally friends text me, “I’m so sorry,” or “What can I do to help?”, when the reality is that they could have been helping for decades to contribute to a society filled with less hate and more diversity. I have seen videos of families being broken. I love them, but yet it’s not enough to hold a sign or apologize, it’s time we reckon with our moral compass of humanity.

Working-class people at Home Depot are being ripped away and hunted by ICE agents as if it’s a playground for their insidious behavior when they are only gardeners, landscapers, and designers helping beautify homes around LA. These gardeners look like my father. From a pregnant mom feeling helpless about the trauma she just experienced with ICE agents, to even undocumented youth in foster care being chained after being human trafficked.

Understanding the interconnections between the border and surveillance industries is crucial for achieving climate justice. Immigration and climate change are inextricably linked; they are not separate. The ICE raids did not occur overnight; the immigration industrial complex has been in place for decades. Without understanding the behemoth of the system that we are up against, we may risk being unprepared for future attacks on our communities. We must realize these connections now.Subscribed

The border and surveillance industry and the climate crisis

The Border and Surveillance Industry is a term that encompasses a vast sector comprising the border, military, detention, technology, and finance sectors.

The border and surveillance industry is busy at work every day, profiting from a web that spans the world. It’s all around us, and it gets easier to see once you know where to look. Borders can often seem obvious, as seen in the walls and fences along the Southern Border here in the US. Surveillance technology helps to expand these borders, and that is not always so obvious. Think about thermal imaging cameras, fleets of drones, and biometric databases. That is huge collections of fingerprints and iris-scans, as well as AI, phone, and social media tracking.Image provided by Unsplash.

This industry is already huge and predicted to grow faster and bigger than ever before. The largest expansion is set to be in Biometrics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Markets and Markets research reports forecast the biometric systems market to double from $33 billion in 2019 to $65.3 billion by 2024—of which biometrics for migration purposes will be a significant sector. It says that the AI market will equal US $190.61 billion by 2025.

In the US alone, the detention and deportation machine is already huge. There are a few times and places we can trace its origins back to. One of them is October 1994, when ‘Operation Gatekeeper’ began to roll out across the Southern border. Bill Clinton was President and CBP was known as INS, Immigration and Naturalization Service. They militarized the region, with increased numbers of Border Patrol agents, new interior Border Patrol checkpoints, more beds in detention, border walls and other infrastructure where there had been none, as well as installing technology like seismic sensors to detect people crossing.

After the 9/11 attacks, this was ramped up again. The Migration Policy Institute points out that following the 9/11 attacks, immigration policy was viewed principally through the lens of national security. There were heightened visa controls and screening of international travelers and would-be immigrants, as well as the collection and storage of information in vast new databases used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and the use of state and local law enforcement as ‘force multipliers’ in immigration enforcement.

It’s easy to forget sometimes that migration is not a crime and migrants are not criminals, they are just a convenient excuse to militarize borders further. Here in the US, for years now, the border has steadily been fed money, resources and staff. Meanwhile, detaining immigrants began becoming a lucrative business when surging inmate populations in the 1980s led to a boom in for-profit prisons. Today, privately run prisons have become the government’s default detention centers for undocumented migrants. That is all just here in the US - let’s remember that the border and surveillance industry is a global one and as an industry, it is booming.

I want to take a beat here to point out that migration is often framed as a national security threat. This is inaccurate and it’s often xenophobic. Moving is a direct adaptation strategy to global warming. People have always moved. Migration is a natural phenomenon observed in a huge number of species, from butterflies to antelopes to giant blue whales.

Preventing people from migrating is dangerous, and it can even be deadly. We know that the border and surveillance industry is set to make more money than the annual GDP of most countries - so perhaps we can understand why so many corporations, asset management firms, military companies, consultancy firms, and tech companies are hustling hard to get a slice of this pie.

But what has this got to do with climate? A lot!

In 2003, a Pentagon-commissioned report warned that in a worst-case climate scenario, the US would need to erect ‘defensive fortresses’ to stop ‘unwanted starving migrants’ from countries. Today, the Transnational Institute reports that the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases are spending, on average, 2.3 times as much on arming their borders as they are on climate finance. Countries like the United States, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Australia are financing and building their ‘fortresses’ - a “Global Climate Wall” to keep migrants out, rather than facing the crisis that forces people to leave their homes in search of safety in the first place.Link to video HERE

Rich countries—the ones that have emitted the most carbon and caused the most global warming—promised to provide climate finance that could help countries mitigate and adapt to climate change. At a United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen in 2009, developed nations pledged to provide US$100 billion annually to developing nations by 2020, to help them adapt to climate change and mitigate further temperature increases. That promise was broken. They never delivered.

Instead, they are militarizing their response to migration and expanding border and surveillance infrastructure. Earlier this year, Statewatch and the Transnational Institute provided a guide on the EU's security, military, and border budgets for the 2021-27 period. They show a massive increase in funding - a total of €43.9bn compared to €19.7bn from 2014–2020 - this will fuel a huge increase in military spending, the further externalization of the EU's borders, and underpin the expansion of EU border agency ‘Frontex’.

This provides booming profits for a border security industry but unacceptable suffering for refugees and migrants who make increasingly dangerous – and frequently deadly – journeys to seek safety in a climate-changed world. When nations militarize their borders, that does not stop people from needing to move. It simply forces people to make longer and more dangerous journeys. This leads to the horror we saw in Texas in July of this year where 53 people were killed when they suffocated in the trailer of a truck. And the UNHCR reports that more than 3,000 people died or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean and the Atlantic last year, hoping to reach Europe.

Border militarisation has intensified due to COVID-19, leading to increased troops and technology deployed on many borders worldwide. There has been an increase in violent pushbacks of refugees on borders as well as the closure of ports, including to rescue vessels, which has led to increased deaths in already deadly regions such as the Mediterranean, which we just mentioned. And the travel bans that came down super quickly - remember that an abrupt closing of borders is almost always done with no concern for the well being of people on the move.

We will continue to discuss the terrible impact this border part of the industry has on migrants. Later, I want to share with you how this industry targets and endangers people on the move. These are people like my own family - people like your own family - you know - we are all impacted somehow - even if we are not the ones moving right now. Because surveillance is a massive part of it too. Surveillance technologies like drones, centralised biometric databases and even facial recognition smartwatches are often tested out on vulnerable migrant populations before moving on to everybody else.

How are investors using their money to fuel the climate crisis, and profiting from it too?

Currently, I would like to share another crucial aspect to consider regarding the border and surveillance industry: investors are using their money to fuel the climate crisis and profiting from it as well. In fact, they profit from the climate crisis in multiple ways.

Number one: this industry’s investors play a pivotal role in the climate crisis by financing fossil fuels and agribusiness. And we all know those are responsible for increasing greenhouse gas emissions, widespread environmental destruction, and gross human rights abuses. Unfortunately, despite being so demonstrably bad, these industries remain profitable. One analysis of World Bank data shows that the oil and gas industry has generated $2.8 billion per day in pure profit over the last 50 years.

Agribusiness is second only to fossil fuels in driving the climate crisis. The management consultants at McKinsey report that the food and agribusiness industry forms a $5 trillion global sector that is only growing larger. The cost of that, to the people, animals and land, is even bigger. Every year, fires ignited to clear forests for industrial agriculture destroy millions of hectares of land customarily owned and managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Global Witness reports that extractive industries drive protracted land conflicts and systematic human rights abuses by forcibly grabbing land from Indigenous Peoples and local communities, razing cultural and sacred sites, destroying livelihoods, and unleashing violence and criminalization against those who resist. In 2020, at least 227 land defenders were killed worldwide for seeking to protect their traditional lands. But still, the profits are there, and Friends of the Earth reports that large asset managers such as BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street all help to bankroll the climate emergency and literally fuel, no pun intended, increasing global instability.

There are plenty of receipts:

Collectively, three of the biggest asset management companies - BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street hold more than $650 billion worth of shares in the 15 fossil fuel, agribusiness, and border and surveillance companies surveyed by Friends of the Earth.

Collectively, those companies - again lets name them - BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street hold almost one third of all shares in these very familiar fossil fuels giants - Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips - if we were giving out prizes for top global greenhouse gas emissions - they would be up right there - top twenty. We’re not giving out prizes, though, nope.

That leads us to number 2: The same global instability also leads to the second way those investors make money. They are deeply invested in militarized borders and surveillance. It’s gross.

The border and surveillance industry receives significant levels of financial support from institutional investors and governments. A 2019 forecast by ResearchAndMarkets.com predicted that the Global Homeland Security and Public Safety Market would grow from US$ $431 billion in 2018 to US$ $606 billion in 2024, at a 5.8% annual growth rate. According to the report, one factor driving this is “[climate] warming-related natural disasters growth”.

These big asset management companies not only help to cause the crisis, but they also facilitate human rights violations through their support of the border and surveillance industry. That’s the industry we’re talking about today - an industry heavily in the business of separating families, eroding civil liberties, and promoting systemic racism and ethnonationalism around the world.

Those same asset management companies make money on the other side too, BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street - hold around 32% of shares in CoreCivic and 38% of shares in GEO Group – those are companies that operate private prisons and migrant detention centers linked to widespread human rights abuses.

ICE, surveillance and climate-linked migration

AI, big data and biometrics are technologies that will substantially shape the future of border policing. For example, the EU is funding a project to develop drones capable of autonomously patrolling Europe’s borders. And many of the same surveillance companies used to expand borders and surveil migrants are also hired by fossil fuel companies to protect pipelines and other interests.

The Latinx and Chicanx organizers at Mijente have been calling out this technology and the willing participation of companies like Amazon Web Services, Palantir, Microsoft, and many others in selling their data to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. Amazon and Palantir are considered the backbone of the federal government’s immigration and law enforcement.

The Tech giant Amazon has a multi-billion-dollar contract with ICE providing the servers needed to profile, track, and detain migrants. While Palantir Technologies, the tech company co-founded and chaired by the Trump-supporting billionaire Peter Thiel, was paid $189m, as reported by The Guardian. to create custom-built programs to allow ICE agents to link public and private databases. So that they could quote,“visualise an interconnected web of data pulled from nearly every part of an individual’s life”. Scary stuff.

Mijente points out that the border and security industry isn’t limited to feeding the detention and deportation machinery but also to policing and military operations, endangering the safety and security of communities already vulnerable to criminalization, from the Bronx to Compton to the southern border.

My own extended family has been targeted by ICE in the past, like so many immigrant families here. This is not by accident. Mijente has uncovered ample evidence of wildly lucrative contracts, invasive technologies at the local, federal, and international levels, and a revolving door of tech executives and government officials driving and making profits off of human rights abuses and widespread trauma and suffering. Ever since the inception of the agency in 2002, ICE has had information technology (IT) contracts with large defense contractors and IT services companies. But with the Trump administration, came unprecedented levels of surveillance, detention and deportation, which heightened the importance of new technologies and companies.

This dragnet of data built up by ICE goes way beyond migrants. ICE has a vast reach, with its intelligence weaponised through algorithmic tools for searching and analysing data. Earlier this year, researchers from Georgetown University released a report that took them two years. In it, they revealed that ICE has been operating largely in secret and with minimal public oversight, to put together a formidable arsenal of digital capabilities that allows its agents to - and I’m quoting the researchers now “pull detailed dossiers on nearly anyone, seemingly at any time”.

Some of the data gathered by ICE includes:

Driver’s license data for three of every four adults living in the US.

Data drawn from the utility records of 75% of adults, covering more than 218 million unique utility consumers in all 50 states.

Facial recognition technology drawn from the driver’s license photos of at least a third of all adults.

The Georgetown researchers base their report on hundreds of freedom of information requests and a review of more than 100,000 previously unseen Ice spending transactions. They suggest the motivation was partly to increase the number of deportations of undocumented people and partly as part of the US government’s - and I’m quoting again - “larger push to amass as much information as possible about all of our lives”.

ICE has spent more than $1.3bn on geolocation technology, including contracts with private companies that own license plate scanning databases, and a further $96m was spent on biometrics, largely face recognition databases; $97m on private data brokers that gather data on individuals from a range of different sources including more than 80 utility companies; and with all of that data they needed even more data analysis tools, and they spent $569m on those.

Why climate justice is migrant justice

Climate change is often referred to as a threat multiplier, as it exacerbates other forces, vulnerabilities, and inequities. When you consider this, it highlights the importance of forming alliances and mutual commitments across movements. The ideal and effective response to these compounding factors needs the engagement and alignment of multiple movements, including climate and environmental justice; immigrant and Indigenous justice; racial, LGBTQ+ and gender justice and economic justice.

And on the subject of money, border violence profiteering is climate change profiteering. The latest IPCC reports are clear - the climate crisis does not care about lines drawn on maps. Creating safe pathways for people to move and live in dignity is essential. You know how, in the environmental movement, we reject the idea of 'sacrifice zones' resulting from ecological destruction? That is so important. We also need to reject the border and surveillance industry that encourages governments and investors to see borders as sacrifice zones for migrants.

Migration has been caused and complicated by war, enslavement and persecution. Today, migrants and refugees must not be stigmatized - if anything needs to be stigmatized it is corporate profiteering from refugee and migration abuse. Migrants are not a problem to be solved, safe migration is and always has been part of the solution.

The climate crisis and the impact of environmental degradation fall disproportionately on people of color and on communities in the Global South. This is patently unfair, considering that the wealthiest 1% of the world’s population causes twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorest 50% of people, and they are the ones who live overwhelmingly in countries most vulnerable to climate change, meaning they are bearing the brunt of a crisis they did not cause.

Now, a vast industry and its investors are preventing those same people from moving to find safety. Without climate justice, there can be no migrant justice.

The climate justice movement and the migrant justice movement have a common oppressor. And common oppressors are evil, but dismantling this oppression is also a beautiful way to build resistance.

It’s also vital that we do that, because our common oppressor is the border and surveillance industry-system that values profits, whether from carbon extraction or border violence, above human life. That industry is connected, organized, and powerful right now - the climate justice movement and the migrant justice movement must be just as connected and organized - that is how we will win. Rather than cashing in on the climate crisis, it is time for the world’s most prominent financiers to divest from the industries that fuel and profit from it.

Protecting immigrants from ICE raids begins with educating ourselves about the history of these horrific industries.

[mcytblraufest]

Holiday Exchange: General Rules and FAQ

TIMELINE:  Sign-ups open, Discord Opens: 18 October Sign-ups close, everyone must have joined the Discord: 15 November Assignments sent out: 23 November - 26 November Check-in: 9 December - 10 December  Posting Week: Sunday 24th December through Monday 1 January.

RULES FOR PARTICIPATING:  - Must join our Discord for communication - Must tag your recipient in the eventual post  - Must tag this blog in your post so we can keep track of gifts - DM a mod ASAP if you don’t think you’ll get your gift out on time or at all, or you want to withdraw - Must check in at the half-way mark to make sure everything is on-track. -Must request and offer to create around a minimum of three characters. -Any under-18 persons found requesting or offering NSFW content will be banned from this and all future iterations of the exchange. -Because of Tumblr, Ao3 and Discord TOS, you must be 13 to participate.

RULES FOR CREATING:  - Make a good-faith effort to respect creator boundaries - Your gift doesn’t have to contain only requested characters, but it does have to centre on at least one requested character.  - Any shipping must be kept to PG-13 levels or below unless your recipient specifically requested NSFW. Any non-requested NSFW is grounds for a ban from this and all future iterations of the exchange.  -Respect your giftee's DNW. Any gift found to be in violation of a reasonable DNW is grounds for a ban from future iterations of the exchange. - Dark or Violent themes must be tagged appropriately -No AI-created content.

DISCORD LINK - Discord: [here]

CREATING RESOURCES:  - How to add your fic to an Ao3 Collection. [link]  - The Ao3 Collection. [link]  - How to image-describe your art. [link1] [link2]

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:  - Art (1 drawing, created to a standard you would normally post as “finished”)  - Writing (1k+ words)  - Playlist (2 hour-long playlists)  - Moodboard (2 boards, at least 9 elements each, for a total of at minimum 18 elements between both boards. Speak to mods if that really doesn't work for your designs)  - Web Weaving (1 board of at least 10 elements)

MISC:  - Tag this blog as well, so we can reblog you!  - You will not necessarily be matched with someone who matches your ‘willing to create about’ exactly. The goal is to have multiple matches, but in cases of more obscure requests you might be matched with someone who only has one commonality between your ‘willing to create’ and their wish list. In that case at least you know what to make your gift around pretty quickly. :D  - Please send asks if you need information. If it is something you do not feel comfortable sending in an ask, you can message the head mod at @antimony-medusa​ - If you ask us a question about something that has been already outlined in this post we will not answer!

FAQ:

-I changed my mind about my gift list, I want to add something, what do I do? You can re-do your entry and we will delete the earlier version of any duplicate entries, or you send us an ask (off anon if you want an answer back) to change something (only minor changes using this method, please).

-Is there an Ao3 collection? I want to add my fic to it. There will be! It will be released once assignments are sent out.

-I added my fic to the Ao3 collection, but I can’t see it? The collection is currently set to ‘unrevealed’, so works can be added but won’t be visible before reveal day, so it’s all a surprise.

-I need to contact my recipient, but they have anon off! What do I do? Talk to us, we’ll contact them for you.

- I didn’t save my assignment message and now I’ve forgotten my assignment, what now? Get in contact with us, we’ll resend it. 

-I can’t finish my gift by the deadline, what do I do? You have two options. Option one is to consider if you can still finish it by a couple days or a week or so later, and ask the mods if you can get an extension. We will check with your recipient to see if it’s okay to extend your deadline. Option two is to drop entirely, in which case you tell a mod, and we will assign your gift to a pinch-hitter so your recipient still gets something. In both cases, the important thing is that you get in contact with a mod ( @antimony-medusa is head mod) as soon as possible to figure out a plan.

-If I want to make more than one gift, can I? You can make as many gifts as you'd like! If you really enjoy making gifts, we suggest signing up as a Pinch Hitter in the discord

-I don't celebrate Christmas, can I sign up? This exchange welcomes all holidays (even a complete lack of holidays), and people will have an opportunity to opt in to what events they want represented in their gift, whether that's real-world holidays, imaginary minecraft events, or no holidays at all.

-I'm only a fan of a small server, can I sign up? You are very welcome to sign up even if your fandom doesn't have the most active tag, this is a broad MCYT exchange. We will do our best to match you with someone else who also likes your block people. If your fandom has less than a thousand fics on the archive, we recommend that you try and recruit friends into the exchange too, so you know that there are people who like the same characters as you in the matching pool. We can't absolutely promise to match on smaller characters, but we have run this exchange twice and we haven't had anyone be entirely unmatchable yet, so fingers crossed that continues.

-Is RPF allowed? While MCYT is in a fuzzy space while we're often close to RPF and many of our older works are still tagged with Video Blogging RPF, this is a character-focused exchange. You will not be able to request or offer direct RPF for this exchange.

-Is shipping allowed? Yes. For the comfort of the greatest number of participants, we ask that participants make a good-faith effort to ensure that any shipping is boundary-respecting, but because there is no broad fandom-wide consensus about how that is defined in specific cases (whether it's okay to write beeduo as /r or /p is an obvious case) or between specific fandoms (lifesteal approach to shipping is different from HBG is different from DSMP), the mods will not be policing any specific understanding of boundaries across the event. The event will operate on Don't Like Don't Read, in that everyone will have the chance to opt in for themselves as to if they are comfortable with shipping or NSFW for each specific character they want to work with, and mods will match based on that.

-Is NSFW allowed? Yes, NSFW is permitted as long as it respects creator boundaries, and both sides of the gift exchange are 18+. People will only be matched to others who specifically requested NSFW work. For the comfort of the greatest number of people in the exchange and the mod team, nothing that would warrant the tags Underage, Rape/Noncon, Dubcon, Adult/Minor, or Incest is permitted.

-My person requested characters I don't want to write, and one of them is a ship I don't like. What do I do? You are only expected to create a gift for the characters you matched on. If you offered to create for Grian (shipping allowed), Good times with Scar (shipping allowed) and Docm77 (only gen), and you matched to someone requesting Grian (shipping allowed), Docm77 (shipping allowed) and Keralis (only gen), you are only expected to make a gift with the characters and relationships you matched on, in this case, Grian. If you are entirely uncomfortable with your match, you can tell a mod, and we can take it off your hands and get it pinch-hit. You will still receive a gift.

-If noncon isn't permitted, is non-consentual touching (platonic) allowed? As technically a punch in the face counts as non-consensual touching, and pvp is a classic part of most MCYT canons, we find banning all nonconsensual contact to be unnecessarily restrictive. As long as nonconsensual contact is not sexual in nature, it is permitted, however, it must be tagged for adequately along with any other potentially triggering content.

-Do you allow dark or violent content? Yes. The lore of many mcyt servers includes death games, abuse, cannibalism, murder-for-hire, and other dark or violent themes. However, all potentially triggering content must be tagged for so readers and giftees can make an informed choice to get infolved or not. We would recommend that you not include particularly dark topics unless requested to by your giftee.

-What is a Pinch Hitter? A pinch hitter is a person who saves the day and steps in when the original creator is unable to deliver their work for whatever reason, making a new work on an accelerated timeline. You can sign up to be a Pinch Hitter in the discord.

-What is a DNW? All participants will have the opportunity to fill out a DNW, which stands for Do Not Want. This is anything that has the potential to ruin a gift for you. DNWs must be phrased politely, (so no "No foster aus because they suck and you suck if you like them"), and they must be reasonable, (so no attempting to box someone into a specific gift, i.e. "DNW anything that isn't a space au where Tommy is a dinosaur-hybrid and Tubbo is a ghost bee and they rampage through the living ship named Las Nevadas"), but they can be as petty (disliking specific art styles) or as broad-reaching (no modern aus, no specific ships, no crossovers with specific servers) as you like. Deliberately breaking someone's DNW is grounds for a ban from the exchange.

-When do I have to join the discord? You have the option to join the dicord and hang out as soon as signup starts on October 18, and you must join the discord so we can communicate with you by November 15. Anyone not in the discord once we start matching will have their sign-ups deleted.

-Is the discord a social server? Can I expect game nights? The discord is primarily an event server, we are not going to be hosting events. We will have a directory of other social servers, if you want to take a conversation started in the discord into a more convivial space.

-What's a check-in and how do they work? Check-ins are there to make sure everyone is on track to finish their piece in time, and to communicate any issues with the mods! If you know that you won’t be able to check in on a specific date (lack of internet, etc), please contact the mods in advance.

-What if I need to drop out? It is your responsibility to communicate with us if you need to drop out of the event for any reason, and we do need that communication. We know that life is no respecter of fic and art deadlines, so no hard feelings if something happens. However, we would hate for anyone to end up having no gift, so please think about this if you are thinking of dropping out close to reveals. Please inform us in advance if you must drop out or think you will not be able to complete your gift on time. Dropping out after the last check-in without informing the mods will result in not being permitted to take part in further events run by this mod team.

I have a question not answered here? Send us an ask on tumblr, contact @antimony-medusa on tumblr or discord!

[bluginkgo]

I know I'm late here with this one, but man does this make me all the more excited.

Ramble warning ahead and spoilers I guess

Oh hai, Cyn! Haven't seen you in a while! Now, this post could be another one of those N posts glitch made to promote the N plush dog. And I'm not gonna lie, they got us good. (Not discarding the theory that shot might still come up in eps 7 and 8, but I highly doubt it.) But this is coming from Liam himself! So I'd like to put more faith in the little snippet he gave us.

I've seen many people theorize that this might be what the absolute solver host's mind might look like when full possession takes place. I'm sold, I love that. I can imagine it, N and Uzi fighting whatever the thing is in the Cabin Fever labs. Uzi somehow ends up either being knocked out or full possession occurs, either way, her subconsciousness is transported into this realm of red. This might be the place where all the hosts' minds connect- the hive mind/cloud based system. Here, Uzi might meet Cyn and even Nori- I know I'm stretching it, but this is just me rambling my own thoughts. And keeping on with my belief in good Cyn theory, Cyn might help Uzi out. She might tell Uzi the origin of the absolute solver- how the AI error came about.

Because the technicians knew about this issue. Improper disposal of worker drones, and the rejection of the kill code causes future OS issues. And in the tiniest print possible, show the 0.7% chance of a hazardous mutation. They might not know what brought this on though. Artificial intelligence is what we make it to be. If bad information is given, then we are given bad results. It'll be interesting to see if in fact the mutation is just that, a one time off chance, or if something is lurking further, or if the absolute solver has always been around and only has been able to take control via the worker drones that JCJenson built because you know, humanity is really good at orchestrating their own demise.

But back to the other crack theory. Uzi might end up chatting with Cyn or directly with the Absolute Solver, all the while her body is posessed by the said Absolute Solver. She'd be going on another rampage, probably fighting N. At the last possible minute, snap back and somehow resolve the issue with the Absolute Solver- cliche I know, but hey, if those cliches are done well, I love them.

But the red fits really well. Seeing as the Absolute Solver always ends up making some sort of red flesh webs.

So for the consciousness/hive mind to conjure up an all red place for its hosts, it'd be a cool design choice.

Or, as per usual, I could be looking in too deep with a single image that Liam graciously fed us with.

[creatingblackcharacters2]

FAQs!

I go by Ice, she/her pronouns 💕. In case you had any of these questions, here you go:

1. "Why'd you make this page?"

I want to make the creation space- fandom to professional- more inclusive for people that look like me.

It is very disheartening when you really like something, and you see that oh! It's going to include a Black character! And then you get that character and... They're subpar. Especially in comparison to the usually white characters that have so much thought put into them. You accept them because you REALLY want that rep, but... We deserve to wholeheartedly accept our characters too, no ehhs about it.

I wanted to challenge myself, using my amateur art skills and my teaching skills, to convey to creators how that makes us feel, and little things they can do to more intentionally create their Black characters. There's more to us than adding to a diversity quota.

2. "So you aren't even a professional?"

I got 28 years of being a Black person on my resume 🤣 jokes aside, I am a self teaching artist. It's only been about a year and a half for me. My more specific goal here is to use my skills to convey a perspective change towards Blackness, not necessarily a "how to do". If you want to learn the specific how-to's of drawing Black characters, there are Black artists all over Tumblr and the web that can show you! I will always actively encourage you to go check them out and support them, it's a great way to learn as well as to support our community!

3. "But if you're not a professional, why should I trust you?"

Well, again, because I don't have to be a professional to recognize when supposedly Black characters... Don't look like me 😅. Or, in writing, don't have any thought about me behind them. I could show my 88 year old Grandma some art and she'd recognize the issues.

But also, I personally believe that if you start from the foundations thinking about intentionally creating your Black characters, it'll make it much easier for you moving into the future. I am holding my hand out as a Black peer to HELP YOU! There are professional video games and art pieces and projects out there with poorly designed Black characters. The concept clearly needs to be introduced to the people somewhere before a million dollar project is release 🤣 But I can't talk to the people at the AAA studios. I can talk to you!

4. "I don't think race matters/should matter."

Alas, it does, everything we do is affected by our beliefs unconsciously or not- but I'm not going to waste my time and argue with you. This blog isn't for you 🤷🏾‍♀️ this blog is for those who want to take that first step to be better, both as creators and as people. 👍🏾

5. "Do you support AI?"

Not in the arts. Learn how to create, it's very fulfilling.

6. "Do you answer asks?"

I do! However, this is a lesson based page, more than an ask based page. If I think your ask can be answered by one of my lessons, I'll refer you to that lesson. If it's an ask that's relevant to something coming up, I will answer it, but you will find more detail in the lesson coming up! I'm only one person doing this, and I can't answer every singular scenario. Also, keep in mind, if you ask me my opinion on something, I will be fair, but honest!

7. Will you be turning on anons?

Okay: right now, we've earned Anon Office Hours Wednesday 12:30pm thru Friday 6:30pm EST!

Most of this is due to the nature of what I'm discussing. Historically, these topics (and how race is relevant) upset some people, and it can get unsafe. Personally, I have no intention of allowing racists, or those who will take my advice in bad faith, to hide their faces. If you want to hate me, speak with your chest 😤👍🏾

The other part is that it is not a bad thing to ask questions! I did create this blog to be a learning opportunity. So long as you are kind to me and send me asks in good faith, I will be kind to you and reply in good faith. I'm also pretty sure I have the option to answer privately, so if you don't want your question posted publicly, You can say that.

If I get more questions, I'll update this!