Stability AI's tool for Blender can create images, effects

(Image: Stability AI)

Open-source 3D computer graphics software Blender now has artificial intelligence smarts that let users create images and effects using text prompts, as the use of AI  gets widespread and debate over its use in creative arts heats up.

Stability AI's new tool, Stable Diffusion, brings its text-to-image generation to the 3D rendering software.

Called "Stability for Blender", it allows users to create images, textures, animations and effects using open-sourced material or text prompts.

The tool is free to use but requires an internet connection and an API key. This could theoretically help 3D artists draft ideas for projects, or streamline larger projects.

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Depending on who you ask, AI-generated art is either fascinating or the sign of darker times for artists. Many are already debating whether AI is on the verge of replacing humans at jobs and this isn't going to help the discourse.

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Then there are legal issues of the AI inadvertently referencing copyrighted art to generate images.

Besides Blender, Stability AI also has a tool for Adobe's Photoshop that lets users create images from text prompts or using another image as reference.