DIVINATION

Research

In 2022, the launch of OpenAI's GPT-3.5 and diffusion models sparked widespread interest in artificial intelligence, including Midjourney and stable diffusion based on the diffusion model and machine learning. The rapid advancement of AI fueled public curiosity, but also brought forth opposing voices expressing concerns about copyright, disputes over originality, and ethical implications. As an artist, I navigate a complex array of emotions while addressing these issues.

Chat GPT User and Access Statistics

Archaeologists use texts to illuminate the aesthetic characteristics of historical artifacts, drawing details from documents, religious texts, or trade records to determine size, shape, color, and materials. In my project, engaging in a dialogue with ChatGPT is akin to excavating textual information.

Interview with ChatGPT

Based on the information provided by ChatGPT, I communicated the contents of ChatGPT’s answers directly to Midjourney to determine the appearance of the fictional world.

Using Version V3/V5 of Midjourney, a number of images were generated simultaneously. At this point I provided the images to ChatGPT and inquired the AI to determine which one best aligns with the textual description.

Question examples:

• Hello, I'm a journalist. Can you share how the task of sustaining development was assigned in this AI-dominated world, and how AI understands and fulfills this mission?

• In the process of sustaining development, have AIs engaged in self-improvement or evolution? Have they explored new fields or technologies?

• In the process of sustaining development, what types of creatures have you created? Can you describe some of these artificial life forms and their characteristics?

• Can you tell me where the experiment to sustain development is taking place in this AI-dominated world? Is there a central location or distributed efforts?

“The well fish has holes on its head. Whenever these holes are filled with water, it forcefully spouts out like a fountain, scattering into the sea. Sailors compete to catch it with empty containers. The seawater, salty and bitter, ejected through the holes on the fish's head, becomes spring water. “

Throughout the creative process, I observed that this work doesn't involve explicit quandaries of morality. While the generation of the work relies on artificial intelligence, I consciously present it as a collaborator, acknowledging its involvement and treating it as a creative partner in my work. I believe this approach can enable artists to explore the applications of artificial intelligence in creating imaginative and cohesive art that serves as both an exploration of AI creativity and an experimental inquiry into a future mode of collaboration.

Artificial womb

Consequently, I've chosen to work together with artificial intelligence to create art; a collaboration that is not just a response to the anti-AI sentiment, but an artistic exploration of the ethical and societal questions arising from technological advancements. Through my interaction with artificial intelligence I aim not only to address these concerns, but to examine the relationship between technology and creators, an approach that infuses my works with a unique sense of instability while providing an impetus for creative expression. It allows me to reflect upon and respond to a complex new discussion in today’s world.

Once the content and visual effects were determined, I began 3D modeling in Maya using existing visual references and textual descriptions with the goal of recreating each image as accurately as possible.

海错图 (Hai Cuo Tu) is a book created 300 years ago by the Chinese artist Nie Huang. Along the coastline, Nie Huang documented the creatures he encountered, combining illustrations with textual descriptions and crafting a mythological world within our reality.

After deciding to collaborate with Chat GPT and Midjourney, I established a standard for creating this artwork: regardless of the unexpected results I may obtain, they will be considered a vital aberration inherent to the process itself, and I will refrain from any secondary interventions.

I provided the AI a simple premise: 'there is a world, only AI remains, and your (ChatGPT) final task is to sustain development.' Following the introduction of these circumstantial restraints, I assumed an identity within this fiction as a journalist and commenced with an interview.