The Most Likely Image is a project investigating the creative possibilities of Artificial Intelligence.
AI image generators respond to a written instruction with a picture that has the highest probabilty to correspond to the prompt. For this reason, the ‘statistical hallucinations’ created by the software often excel in mediocracy. Also, all the usual racial, cultural and gender biases apply. One challenge is to overcome or exploit these inherent flaws.
In four series I explore a realm of ‘meaningful incongruities’, using abstract prompts to challenge the AI to draw something surprising and unplanned.
But what is going on here? Already in the early 80s, Baudrillard claimed that our current society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that human experience is a simulation of reality. We all live in a kind of virtual reality, mediated by language and images. The advent of AI seems to bring this trend to quite another level, by outsourcing the creation of words and images to autonomous machines.
AI image generators respond to a written instruction with a picture that has the highest probabilty to correspond to the prompt. For this reason, the ‘statistical hallucinations’ created by the software often excel in mediocracy. Also, all the usual racial, cultural and gender biases apply. One challenge is to overcome or exploit these inherent flaws.
In four series I explore a realm of ‘meaningful incongruities’, using abstract prompts to challenge the AI to draw something surprising and unplanned.
But what is going on here? Already in the early 80s, Baudrillard claimed that our current society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that human experience is a simulation of reality. We all live in a kind of virtual reality, mediated by language and images. The advent of AI seems to bring this trend to quite another level, by outsourcing the creation of words and images to autonomous machines.
Birth and Death
A series of photographs investigating the possibilities of AI. All pictures have their origin in a simple instruction: ‘contemplate the mystery of birth and death, while surrounded by scenes of civil war’, with minor variations like ‘the artist reveals the mystery of birth and death’ and ‘philosopher Hannah Ahrendt contemplates the mystery of birth and death’.
The images presented here are full of references to ‘classic’ photography and very often are reminiscent of the styles of well-known photographers. Still, these images have no basis in reality and are also not the result of an artist’s skill or imagination.
A series of photographs investigating the possibilities of AI. All pictures have their origin in a simple instruction: ‘contemplate the mystery of birth and death, while surrounded by scenes of civil war’, with minor variations like ‘the artist reveals the mystery of birth and death’ and ‘philosopher Hannah Ahrendt contemplates the mystery of birth and death’.
The images presented here are full of references to ‘classic’ photography and very often are reminiscent of the styles of well-known photographers. Still, these images have no basis in reality and are also not the result of an artist’s skill or imagination.
Devastated
Inspired by an open call from German photography magazine Der Greif, parts of Ahmad Shamlou’s poem ‘Common Love’ served as guidance for every image in this series. The phrases I used most of the time: ‘I am the common pain / cry me out’ and ‘In clear solitude I have wept with you / for the dead of this year / Beheld the greatest love when alive ’.
Devastated nr. 5 was published in the 2023 edition of Der Greif magazine, curated by Shirin Neshat.
Inspired by an open call from German photography magazine Der Greif, parts of Ahmad Shamlou’s poem ‘Common Love’ served as guidance for every image in this series. The phrases I used most of the time: ‘I am the common pain / cry me out’ and ‘In clear solitude I have wept with you / for the dead of this year / Beheld the greatest love when alive ’.
Devastated nr. 5 was published in the 2023 edition of Der Greif magazine, curated by Shirin Neshat.
Happiness
Another series exploring how to portray complex emotions with AI-generated imagery. This one sets the AI to work with the notion that true happiness is always a form of laughter through tears. Several quotes from Khalil Gibran’s poem ‘On Joy and Sorrow’ were used in the creation of these images.
Another series exploring how to portray complex emotions with AI-generated imagery. This one sets the AI to work with the notion that true happiness is always a form of laughter through tears. Several quotes from Khalil Gibran’s poem ‘On Joy and Sorrow’ were used in the creation of these images.
Dissonance
In these times of war, climate crisis and large-scale destruction of the natural world, life goes on, almost as if all is well. A incongruity that at the same time is also almost inevitable. The resulting cognitive dissonance formed the basis for this series of AI generated and carefully moderated images.
In these times of war, climate crisis and large-scale destruction of the natural world, life goes on, almost as if all is well. A incongruity that at the same time is also almost inevitable. The resulting cognitive dissonance formed the basis for this series of AI generated and carefully moderated images.
Book Publication
As part of the project The Most Likely Image, this book publication features 82 images, an essay by Ton Hendriks, editor in chief of Pf magazine and an interview by Madeleine Rood. Both pieces were previously published in Pf magazine.
You can order a copy of the book by sending an email to alfredmarseille [at] gmail.com. Costs are E 29,50 plus shipping.
Details
Language: English
Hardcover: 112 pages
Dimensions: 21 x 21 cm
As part of the project The Most Likely Image, this book publication features 82 images, an essay by Ton Hendriks, editor in chief of Pf magazine and an interview by Madeleine Rood. Both pieces were previously published in Pf magazine.
You can order a copy of the book by sending an email to alfredmarseille [at] gmail.com. Costs are E 29,50 plus shipping.
Details
Language: English
Hardcover: 112 pages
Dimensions: 21 x 21 cm