I tried the controversial internet tool that lets anyone create AI-generated art for free — here's how to use DALL-E

DALL·E AI-generated image of "Astronaut cowboys at a rodeo in outer space" with caption
DALL·E AI-generated image of "Astronaut cowboys at a rodeo in outer space" with caption DALL·E/OpenAI
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You can make an account on DALL-E like on any other website by using an email and making a password. When you're in, the homepage has a bar to add a prompt for DALL·E to start creating. Below the prompt bar are examples of art DALL·E has made, including the prompt that lead to the image.

screenshot of the DALL·E homepage with the search bar on top and examples of DALL-E art underneath
Screenshot of the DALL-E homepage DALL·E/OpenAI

On DALL-E, the AI-generated images you create are called "generations." They are based on text you put into the search bar called "prompts." You can also upload images to DALL-E, called "uploads," and create images from that. 

The details you can add in your prompt are seemingly limitless, including the style of art or artist you want the AI-image to resemble. For this prompt, I specified that I wanted the image to be "digital art."

screenshot of DALL·E search for astronaut fish swimming in an ocean in outer space, digital art
Screenshot of DALL·E creations for "astronaut fish swimming in an ocean in outer space, digital art" DALL·E/OpenAI
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The first prompt I asked DALL-E to create was cats eating soup. One of my favorite paintings is "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt, so I asked for this image and added, "in the style of Gustav Klimt." This image was the best of the four that DALL-E gave me, but none of the images really resembled "The Kiss."

DALL·E AI-generated image of cats eating soup in the style of Gustav Klimt
DALL-E AI-generated image of "Cats eating soup in the style of Gustav Klimt" DALL·E/OpenAI

I did another prompt with a different artist in mind. For this image, I asked for "van Gogh style painting of Formula 1 car driving on Mars." Compared to what DALL-E gave me for Klimt, I thought this image more closely resembled a Vincent van Gogh painting.

DALL·E AI-generated image of van Gogh style painting of Formula 1 car driving on Mars
DALL-E AI-generated image of "van Gogh style painting of Formula 1 car driving on Mars" DALL·E/OpenAI
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My favorite results from my DALL-E prompts were these images of "extraterrestrial School of Athens by Raphael."

screenshot of collection of DALL·E generated images of "extraterrestrial School of Athens by Raphael"
Screenshot DALL-E generated images of "extraterrestrial School of Athens by Raphael" DALL·E/OpenAI

Here's a closer look at my favorite of that batch. I didn't have any real expectations for this prompt, so I was excited to see how DALL-E would interpret it. I liked this one the best because DALL-E added more landscape to this "generation" to suggest it was in a different world.

an AI-generated image by DALL·E of extraterrestrial School of Athens by Raphael"
DALL-E-generated image of "extraterrestrial School of Athens by Raphael" DALL·E/OpenAI
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Each detail in your prompt will influence how DALL-E will create your image. For example, I used the same prompt for two photos. For this one, I asked for "a bright painting of a girl walking over a bridge into a waterfall that opens into another dimension..."

DALL·E AI-generated image of a bright painting of a girl walking over a bridge into a waterfall that opens into another dimension
DALL-E AI-generated image of "a bright painting of a girl walking over a bridge into a waterfall that opens into another dimension" DALL·E/OpenAI

...then "a dark painting of a girl walking over a bridge into a waterfall that opens into another dimension." Both sets of images came out very different depending on whether I put "bright" or "dark."

DALL·E AI-generated image of a dark painting of a girl walking over a bridge into a waterfall that opens into another dimension
DALL-E AI-generated image of "a dark painting of a girl walking over a bridge into a waterfall that opens into another dimension" DALL·E/OpenAI
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When your prompt isn't very specific, the "generations" can really vary in style. For example, I only asked for "Astronaut cowboys at a rodeo in outer space." Here's one generation:

DALL·E AI-generated image of astronaut cowboys at a rodeo in outer space
DALL-E AI-generated image of "Astronaut cowboys at a rodeo in outer space" DALL·E/OpenAI

And another one in a different style:

DALL·E AI-generated image of "Astronaut cowboys at a rodeo in outer space"
DALL-E AI-generated image of "Astronaut cowboys at a rodeo in outer space" DALL·E/OpenAI
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You can also edit a "generation" on DALL-E by using one of your credits. Edit options include erasing part of the "generation," adding a frame, or uploading another image to add to the "generation."

screenshot of the editing options on DALL·E generations
Screenshot of the editing options on DALL-E generations DALL·E/OpenAI

You can check your collection by clicking "My collection" at the top of the DALL-E homepage. You can also check how many credits you have for the month by clicking on your user profile in the top right corner.

screenshot of how to check your DALL·E collection and credits
Screenshot of how to check your DALL·E collection and credits DALL·E/OpenAI

When you open an account to use DALL-E, you get 50 credits for the first month. Each credit is used for one DALL-E prompt, one edit request, or a variation request. You get 15 credits for each month after the first month, but the 50 free credits don't roll over after the first month. You can also buy more credits.

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Here are some other examples of "generations" I made using DALL-E, like this "digital art" of one of my favorite dishes, pho.

DALL·E AI-generated image of "a bowl of pho that is a portal to another dimension, digital art""
DALL·E AI-generated image of "a bowl of pho that is a portal to another dimension, digital art"" DALL·E/OpenAI

And this one, "an illustration of baby ducks wearing rain boots eating tacos" inspired by my friend who asked me to ask DALL·E for an image of ducks.

DALL·E AI-generated image of an illustration of baby ducks wearing rainboots eating tacos
DALL-E AI-generated image of "an illustration of baby ducks wearing rain boots eating tacos" DALL·E/OpenAI
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I was clearly feeling the outer space theme, so I asked for, "light saber battle in Ancient Rome"

DALL·E AI-generated image of “light saber battle in Ancient Rome”
DALL-E AI-generated image of "light saber battle in Ancient Rome" DALL·E/OpenAI
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OpenAI's content policy for DALL·E includes not creating, uploading, or sharing images that depict hate, violence, self-harm, illegal activity, or anything political.

screenshot of OpenAI's content policy for DALL·E including not attempting to create, upload, or share images that are not G-rated or that could cause harm
Screenshot of OpenAI's content policy for DALL·E DALL·E/OpenAI

For more of OpenAI's content policy, go here.

OpenAI encourages DALL·E users to be transparent about the use of AI in the creation of their images.

Screenshot of OpenAI policy for not misleading others about AI involvement in images created using DALL·E
Screenshot of OpenAI policy for not misleading others about AI involvement in images created using DALL·E DALL·E/OpenAI
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As cool as using DALL-E was for me and probably its other users, AI image generators have caused a lot of controversy in the art world. For example, someone used a different AI art generator, Midjourney, to create artwork that was submitted to an art competition and won. The win was met with backlash online from people who called it cheating and debated the implications for people in creative jobs.

A screenshot of digital artist Jason Allen's winning AI-generated artwork, "Théâtre D'opéra Spatial"
A Discord screenshot of digital artist Jason Allen's winning AI-generated artwork, "Théâtre D'opéra Spatial" Discord/Jason Allen @sincarnate

The artist behind the award-winning Midjourney artwork told The New York Times that he wasn't going to apologize for winning the competition.

Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, has a global deal to allow OpenAI to train its models on its media brands' reporting.

AI Art OpenAI
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