Artificial Futures

We wanted to create distinct AI-generated images that were not replicable, and to curate an image catalogue that was as varied as it was extensive. The images needed to reflect the sentiment of the prompts - dark to visualise scepticism and vibrant, colourful images for joyful prompts. While our influence through curation played a role in the outcome, we chose to be impartial but still maintain control of the expected result, perhaps the ultimate demonstration of an artificial future.

We took inspiration from history, using descriptive samples of Italian Futurism’s art, sculpture, and photography as an additional layer of information. In combination with the user’s prompts, these elements generate each image. Each image renders the prompt while also interpreting the sentiment and choosing an appropriate pre-defined medium, such as art, sculpture, and photography. The result is a catalogue of individually unique images that share visual tropes. This approach ensures that each image produced is a response to the user’s prompt and a curated interpretation of the sentiment, resulting in a beautiful collection of images.

Through a creative blend of technology and art, we aimed to capture and present people’s aspirations for the future through unique AI-generated, date-stamped images that serve as a repository of our collective hopes and dreams. The distinct blend of technology and creative artistry in the rendered images sparks contemplation on their authenticity and the influence of technology on our future. Artificial Futures encourages reflection on past visions of the future and the role of new technology in shaping tomorrow. It fosters a thought-provoking dialogue and constructs a visual compendium of diverse perspectives on the future at this moment in time.

The Artificial Futures project includes some noteworthy elements that distinguish our work uniquely and interestingly. Its distinctive typeface is intentionally designed to shift in and out of focus perpetually. This deliberate visual effect symbolises the fleeting and elusive nature of the future and the intricate process of interpreting hopes into reality (or prompts into images). This effect is achieved through sophisticated code that operates exclusively within web browsers. However, our desire to create printed collateral led us to replicate these parameters meticulously in Adobe Illustrator. We meticulously produced a series of captivating animated sequences strategically employed across our social media platforms to generate excitement and anticipation for the event.