The Big Picture of Generative AI
"Generative AI" spans many areas—image, video, text, audio, 3D. Before starting as a creator, organize what kinds exist and what each is good at.
5 Main Categories
1. Text Generation
- Main: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini
- Uses: articles, novels, scenarios, social, copy
- Can start sufficiently for free
2. Image Generation
- Main: Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, FLUX
- Uses: illustration, photo-style, concept art, manga
- Mostly paid (pricing/plan names change often—check each official site)
3. Video Generation
- Main: Google Veo, Runway, Kling, etc. (OpenAI Sora's offering changed—check the latest)
- Uses: ads, social video, prototypes, visual expression
- Pricier, longer generation time
4. Audio/Music Generation
- Main: Suno, Udio (music), ElevenLabs (speech synthesis)
- Uses: BGM, narration, voice-actor substitute
- Confirm commercial use
5. 3D/Special
- Main: Meshy, Luma AI, Tripo
- Uses: 3D models, Unity / Blender integration
- Still experimental, evolving rapidly
Positioning for Creators
| Conventional workflow | After AI integration |
|---|---|
| Ideating from blank | Brainstorm/draft with AI |
| Make assets one by one | 10 variations with AI → choose |
| Deadline-driven mass production | Compress time with AI, humans focus on finishing |
| Asset cost (stock photos etc.) | Generate with AI as needed |
3 Things to Pin Down Before Starting
1. Copyright/Commercial Use
Rights of output and training-data issues are detailed in the next article "Copyright Guide." Free-plan output may be commercial-NG in some cases.
2. Tool Combination
Using multiple AIs for one work is common:
- Scenario in ChatGPT → background in Midjourney → BGM in Suno → video with Runway
3. Keep "Your Own Hand"
AI 80% + human 20% shows more originality than AI 100%. Humans judge the finished form.
Where to Start
- Text-mainly: ChatGPT / Claude
- Illustration/photo-mainly: Midjourney
- Video-mainly: Runway
- Music-mainly: Suno
Next Step
The next article "How to Choose Generative AI" details the judgment axes for picking tools that fit your genre.
