This year, everyone is talking about AI. We’ve seen glimpses of potential before from different algorithms, but AI content and art have suddenly taken huge leaps forward and are set to transform the lives of creatives. The biggest question on everyone’s lips – which industry is next to take the plunge?
Is AI Painting Real?
If you have a spare half an hour in your day, and are looking to be ‘wowed’, take a look at the incredible robotic creations from Boston Dynamics. Everything from opening doors to backflips, they are propelling us towards a future where robots help us in our daily lives. On the medical side, there is everything from exosuits and prosthetics to robotic nurses that can help the elderly and disabled live more fulfilling lives.
All very impressive, but what about painting? Well, AI painting assistants already exist! Lines and road markings haven’t been done by hand for a long time. If you visit a large stadium between games, you might even see a little plastic shape repainting lines, with a watchful caretaker controlling from the side-lines. These aren’t billion-pound prototypes, but an affordable investment if you need the work done quickly and efficiently. If your budget is tighter, you can spend less on a human-powered version that still guarantees straight lines.
AI Floor Painting
White lines are one thing, but could an AI paint an entire floor? The automated robots all work in a similar way: you program in the directions, load up the paint and press go. Others are remote-controlled from an app, so an expert can (literally) keep it on the straight and narrow. Provide your robotic assistant with the right amount of paint, and it’ll have an even coat done in no time.
The main benefit is the time it saves. Rollering a large floor takes a long time, so automating it speeds up the process while keeping the high quality your client will expect. Some models even mix the paint themselves, saving even more time.
The purpose of AI is to do the monotonous jobs that are time-consuming and mind-numbing. If a contractor adds one of these robots to their team, it can handle the basics while you focus on the parts of the job that need the human touch. For large projects like sports centres or warehouses, you can split the work and get the job done much faster.
Will AI Replace Contractors?
When AI is introduced to a new industry, it’s natural to think that the humans are going to be replaced by robots. Rest assured: your job is safe.
This technology is designed to make lives easier, and it’s the same for our careers. The calculator replaced the abacus, but we still need accountants to push the right buttons. No matter how advanced the AI, it will never be perfect. There will always need to be a human on hand to keep an eye on things, and get it going again if something goes wrong. Here’s a handy table that shows that AI is great, but isn’t without its issues:
Pros and Cons of AI Painting
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Completes jobs quickly. | Can take time to program. |
| Low margin for error. | Has to be controlled or monitored. |
| Can mix paint. | Paint needs to be loaded. |
| Creates a perfect finish. | Can be confused by obstacles or uneven surfaces. |
| Satisfying to use. | Expensive to buy. |
The Future of AI Painting
The technology will improve with time, so it’s hard to tell what the future holds for AI painting. For now, the human touch is still essential. Painting jobs are always more complicated than they seem, and an expert can make decisions in the moment to keep everything running smoothly.
Floor painting is impressive, but so far is the only thing that AI can help us with. It will be a while before we see spider-like machines that can paint our walls and ceilings, and the AI will need a few more updates before it can handle fiddly tile painting!
One final thing to consider is reliability. Nothing slows down a job like a contractor calling in sick; it can even stop work completely. Having an AI on your team in theory would prevent this. However, batteries die, parts break, and software stops working too. Like every piece of technology that we rely on, there’s always something that can go wrong. And when your painting robot needs a day off, the humans will be there to step up and get the job done.
More from Paintmaster
Paintmaster don’t have any robots in stock at the moment (maybe in a few years!), but what we do have are thousands of fantastic products for any painting project. Every colour you can imagine, and all the accessories and supplies that make your work easier.
Whether you are a tradesperson with a large job to do, or just want to brighten up your home, look no further than Paintmaster!
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