Hi Steve, longtime player/lurker, first time poster.
I personally think this would be a terrible idea. AI art actively turns me off of projects that use it. I was critical of the original graphics of Shadow Empire, but somehow the AI portraits made it even worse. I was on the edge about buying Sins of a Solar Empire 2, and what ultimately made me hold off is the awful AI art they threw in everywhere. For me it just feels bad to spend time looking at images that nobody spent the time creating. Just soulless remixes of art that actually was created by human hands with intent. If you went through with this, I would be desperate for an option to restore the original graphics.
But beyond my personal preferences, I also just don't really see the practicality here. I don't think anyone is playing Aurora for the graphics, they're playing it for the amazing simulation and the gameplay that creates. You can already do so much with the existing customization options. I'm curious what benefit you're looking for here beyond going down the AI road for the sake of it.
Of course at the end of the day this is your project that you have blessed us all with, so if working with image generating algorithms is just something that makes you happy then who am I to tell you it's a bad idea. I just personally believe that sometimes less is more, and for me Aurora is already a pretty game to look at.
Nothing I add would prevent you using the existing art if that is preferable, or using your own creations. People already create their own art for all the things I am considering changing, plus commander portraits - if added - would be optional.
In terms of benefit (for me personally), I am already using some AI images in my current campaign - some created by me and some free content - so I am looking to improve the quality of images by accessing premium content and transforms.
For example, here is one of the AI images I generated myself using a free AI for ships of a potential Arachnid spoiler race I am considering.
Below are a few quick *low quality* example screenshots of some of the available content I am considering purchasing (there are thousands of them and they can be modified). For these types of images, you can use a better quality image than the picture above on various windows, but I can lift the ship only (removing the background and making it transparent), so you can use it as an icon on the Galactic map. For that matter, I can take a ship and create a completely different background, although that is more expensive in terms of processing cost. Theoretically, I could use the icons for all races on the tactical map, but I am concerned about clutter - maybe an optional popup icon if moused-over. I could also look to create related images, so they can be used a set for different classes.
As this technology progresses, imagination is going to be the limiting factor. For someone like me, who is terrible at graphics, the option to explain to an AI how to create and modify images, is going to be a game-changer. Obviously, its not good for graphic artists who don't want to use AI, but for those who do adopt it, their output is going to massively increase. If I decide to go ahead and pay for content, rather than tinkering as I have done so far, the creator of each image I download will receive a small amount (and from everyone else who uses it too).
