The Stroud Region According to AI
April is staycation month in Stroud, with the Stroud & District Chamber of Trade & Commerce (the Chamber) having launched a push to encourage more visitors to the region, as they seek to spread appreciation of the wonderful things to see and do around Stroud.
It’s a campaign we’re – understandably – firmly behind.
But to try and augment the Chamber’s efforts, we wanted to do something different to get people thinking about Stroud and the surrounding area in a different way, whilst underlining just how wonderful (and real) a place it is.
We’re sure you’ve seen in the news how AI is developing at a phenomenal rate, with remarkable new tools emerging daily – something that sees it dominating headlines around the world.
Given this, and the fact many of these tools are freely accessible, we decided to use its help to create a real talking point about Stroud.
So, focusing on eye-catching sights from the likes of Painswick, Nailsworth, Stonehouse, the Stroud Water Canal, Berkeley, Dursley, Wotton-Under-Edge and Minchinhampton, we used Midjourney, one of a raft of AI tools flooding the market, to generate images of its interpretation of local landmarks.
Using a series of advanced prompts to get as realistic a finish as possible these are the results, held up against their real-life counterparts.
As you can see, the results are extremely realistic – but they’re a far cry from the ‘real’ Stroud.
Commenting on the AI-generated images, Sarah Brewster, Director of Stonehouse Court Hotel and Chair of Stroud Tourism Partnership, said: “AI is developing at an astonishing rate, and we wanted to not just explore its capabilities, but also explore what its current technological level depicts as the Stroud region. And to be frank, whilst the results are incredible, some might say disconcertingly, realistic – they’re just not the real thing.”
The results then, whilst astonishingly lifelike, are a far cry from the real thing, and this is something we’re keen to emphasise here at Stonehouse Court as we encourage people to come and ‘see the real Stroud.’
Sarah, commenting, said: “The rise of AI tools means people are going to find it ever more difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. It won’t be long before people’s Instagram feeds are awash with AI-generated imagery that’s good enough to make you believe that person’s actually been there – even if they haven’t.”
Sarah continued: “Not only this, it will allow a distorted reality – a picture-perfect, chocolate box view with no blemishes or authenticity. The truth is though there’s so much more to a place than merely its aesthetics. All of our senses work together to enrich our experiences – and that’s something AI can’t replicate. Well, certainly not yet anyway! People though, need to head to the Stroud region to experience its vibrant and eclectic mix of wonderful sights, people, sounds and smells for themselves. You just can’t beat the real thing.”
Sarah added: “Through AI, we’re seeking to get people thinking and appreciating the beauty of our region, whilst also introducing it to new audiences. Stroud and its surrounding areas have so much to see and enjoy, and the more we can celebrate that, the better.”
Like what you see? Why not book a staycation and see the real Stroud for yourself?
And to find out more about the Stroud region visit www.visitstroud.uk/staycation
