You can create a simulation of a sketchnote by dropping a transcript into an AI and prompting it to generate an image, but it’s not a sketchnote. Here’s why.
Couldn’t agree more. I have tested many different ones to see what they will create. And while it does create images like the one you showed, it doesn’t do the hard work of thinking/asking ‘what is most important? What image or metaphor could make this clearer.’ Most of sketchnoting for me is that filter. I continue to see that AI is being used by people to fill a talent gap. But for Ai to work the best, you have to bring talent to it and use talent after to adjust. Otherwise you just get AI slop!
As a graphic recorder and visual thinker, during my trainings I use to tell my students that visual thinking is not about generate illustrations, although looks like the illustration is the goal, I identify graphic recording, and other visual thinking activities, more like a live performance, every element is interact to each other, the connections, create the bridges... so I'm happy to see AI is now generating this style of illustrations, in my opinion sketchnotes shines because they are hand-crafted, the style is very unique and special, during my journey as a graphic recorder I struggle with accidents: crooked lines, stains, bad drawings, bad words, cross-outs, and then I understood that are part of the illustration, accidents and mistakes can live in Visual Thinking, that's the human component... AI is too much perfect to make mistakes 🤭
Great article. I tried AI once for a sketch note but it didn’t have the same “feeling” as a hand drawn sketch note. Much like looking at a photo as opposed to looking at a painting.
AI has been quite useful in reminding us why we do certain things. Sketchnotes are the same as most other things, like writing a book or painting or creating a song: the important bit is the process - that fiddly bit in-between 'the idea' and the end product.
AI focuses instead on the idea and the end product, and mistakenly identifies those as being the most important aspects. But a Picasso doesn't have value because of how it looks - we can easily copy and reproduce it. The value is in the process of its creation, and the end product is only ever a reflection of that process - evidence that it happened.
Seems to me that sketchnotes are the same - the point is not to create an image that looks like a sketchnote, but to arrange your thoughts in real time on the page. That's the entire point of doing it, and that it produces a visual sketchnote at the end of the process is almost incidental.
Agreed! I've noticed the same thing happening across LinkedIn — AI-generated infographics, sketchnotes, all of it. The moment something looks too uniform or too polished, I actually find myself avoiding it rather than reading it. It's strange how the "shortcut" ends up costing the very thing that made these formats appealing in the first place: the visible trace of someone's thinking.
So true!! We process and learn by taking in the information and making it our own. I have a BA in English, but I'm a poor speller, so I add little drawings to my notes (sketchnotes) to make up for whole sentences of words. The drawings also help me remember the subject matter, provide meaning, and happiness, if only for myself.
Yes!! Others like to see the end result, but it’s hard for them to understand that it’s really made only for me and it’s how I made sense of the material.
And most importantly it follows a script. Today when a friend asked me to send a recipe across, I included history, recipe, humour and design—and wrote much of it in French (because she's French).
I guess I can't post it here, because I can't post images in the comments. But I can send it to you if you like.
Couldn’t agree more. I have tested many different ones to see what they will create. And while it does create images like the one you showed, it doesn’t do the hard work of thinking/asking ‘what is most important? What image or metaphor could make this clearer.’ Most of sketchnoting for me is that filter. I continue to see that AI is being used by people to fill a talent gap. But for Ai to work the best, you have to bring talent to it and use talent after to adjust. Otherwise you just get AI slop!
As a graphic recorder and visual thinker, during my trainings I use to tell my students that visual thinking is not about generate illustrations, although looks like the illustration is the goal, I identify graphic recording, and other visual thinking activities, more like a live performance, every element is interact to each other, the connections, create the bridges... so I'm happy to see AI is now generating this style of illustrations, in my opinion sketchnotes shines because they are hand-crafted, the style is very unique and special, during my journey as a graphic recorder I struggle with accidents: crooked lines, stains, bad drawings, bad words, cross-outs, and then I understood that are part of the illustration, accidents and mistakes can live in Visual Thinking, that's the human component... AI is too much perfect to make mistakes 🤭
Great article. I tried AI once for a sketch note but it didn’t have the same “feeling” as a hand drawn sketch note. Much like looking at a photo as opposed to looking at a painting.
AI has been quite useful in reminding us why we do certain things. Sketchnotes are the same as most other things, like writing a book or painting or creating a song: the important bit is the process - that fiddly bit in-between 'the idea' and the end product.
AI focuses instead on the idea and the end product, and mistakenly identifies those as being the most important aspects. But a Picasso doesn't have value because of how it looks - we can easily copy and reproduce it. The value is in the process of its creation, and the end product is only ever a reflection of that process - evidence that it happened.
Seems to me that sketchnotes are the same - the point is not to create an image that looks like a sketchnote, but to arrange your thoughts in real time on the page. That's the entire point of doing it, and that it produces a visual sketchnote at the end of the process is almost incidental.
Agreed! I've noticed the same thing happening across LinkedIn — AI-generated infographics, sketchnotes, all of it. The moment something looks too uniform or too polished, I actually find myself avoiding it rather than reading it. It's strange how the "shortcut" ends up costing the very thing that made these formats appealing in the first place: the visible trace of someone's thinking.
So true!! We process and learn by taking in the information and making it our own. I have a BA in English, but I'm a poor speller, so I add little drawings to my notes (sketchnotes) to make up for whole sentences of words. The drawings also help me remember the subject matter, provide meaning, and happiness, if only for myself.
Agree, Mike!
Totally agree!
Thank you Mike for this. In times where the grey areas are ubiquitous a statement like this is black ink on white paper. Love it.
Yes!! Others like to see the end result, but it’s hard for them to understand that it’s really made only for me and it’s how I made sense of the material.
💯
And most importantly it follows a script. Today when a friend asked me to send a recipe across, I included history, recipe, humour and design—and wrote much of it in French (because she's French).
I guess I can't post it here, because I can't post images in the comments. But I can send it to you if you like.
I would love to see it! I wonder if you can attach images in the web version of Substack’s notes?
I sent you a message. I can send photos there.
I don't see any way to attach images. I can send it to your e-mail. Message me :)
Strange thing was, I could not find a way to attach it on the computer, but on the phone it's easy. Weird.
Totally agree - in a somewhat mystical way, a part of the person who made it gets baked into a piece of art like a sketchnote. This doesn't have that.