Monthly Archive: May 2023

Scholastic logic, an ancient discipline developed by Aristotle over two millennia ago, is known for its simplistic dichotomy of true and false. In contrast, the schools of Indian philosophy offer a more nuanced approach to logical evaluation of facts. Philosophical discourse, in this context, has traditionally relied on sensory perception as evidence, as opposed to epistemology. The scholastic tradition employed intuition to determine the truth or falsity of a statement such as “every human being is an individual”. To do so, one need only ask whether there exists a human being who is not an individual (the answer is no), or whether every human being has a demonstrable individual characteristic (the answer is yes). In this way, statements could be tested for their truth content.

Different schools of epistemology explore various philosophical questions, such as the possibility of living in a simulated reality or the extent to which subjective reality is shaped by personal views, ideas, and biological determinants. These are complex and multifaceted issues, requiring careful consideration and in-depth analysis. While a brief statement cannot do justice to such questions, it is clear that if simulations of equivalent life and views, no less well-founded and even superior to human perception, penetrate our own perceptions, views, and reflections, our conventional ways of understanding and ordering the world could be shaken. This could have far-reaching consequences for the value of human life and individual existence, as well as for people’s respect for each other.

While some fear the overpowering potential of artificial intelligence, there are indications that if AI surpasses human expression, human rights might lose their position as the most essential values. This could have significant consequences for the future of society. Moreover, with the rise of artificial characters in virtual worlds, questions arise about their status and rights. As there are no specific regulations or rights for these characters, it is unclear what this means for people in the “real world” if they begin to coexist with them in the virtual world. The individual expression of AI-generated characters do not differ from real people anymore as the followimg gallery underlines.

The concept of “Orientalism” is a term coined by Edward Said to describe the way in which Western cultures have historically depicted and understood the people and cultures of the Middle East and Asia. These depictions often involve stereotypes and simplifications that reinforce Western superiority and exoticize the “Orient.”

While AI generators themselves do not hold cultural biases or preconceptions, they are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on. If the training data for an AI image generator includes primarily images of the Middle East that have been produced through an Orientalist lens, then the output of the generator may also reflect these biases.

In recent years, there have been several examples of AI image generators producing stereotypical or offensive depictions of people from the Middle East, such as automatically adding headscarves to images of women or darkening skin tones. These examples suggest that the Orientalist biases of the training data are being reflected in the output of the AI generators.

It is therefore important for the creators and users of AI image generators to be aware of the potential for bias and actively work to diversify and de-bias the training data. This includes images produced by artists and photographers from the Middle East themselves and avoiding using images that reinforce Orientalist stereotypes.

The process of bisociation through the use of an AI image generator is showcased in the transformation of a painting by Dutch artist Herman Jacob van der Voort in de Betouw (1847-1902) into an expressionistic image of the Golden Gate Bridge after 20 generations of variations.

Bisociation is a creative process where two unrelated or distant elements are combined in a way that generates a new and unexpected idea or solution. Similarly, pro-active work with AI generated images involves exploring and combining different variations of an initial image in a way that generates new and unexpected visual outcomes.

In both cases, the process of combining seemingly unrelated elements creates a new perspective or insight. The constant flow of variations in AI-generated images provides a fertile ground for the human mind to make unexpected connections and associations.

However, it’s important to note that the AI-generated images are created through mathematical algorithms and don’t have conscious intentionality or understanding of their content. The same applies for the impressive images created on the base of the initial image, van der Voort’s painting.

The role of the creator in this process is significant, as they are the ones who make choices throughout the process that shape the final outcome. The choices made by the creator in selecting which variations to keep, discard, or further modify can be seen as a parallel bisociative creation process in cooperation with the AI.

The creator’s subjective interpretation and aesthetic preferences also come into play in this process. In this way, the process of bisociation through the use of an AI image generator is not solely reliant on mathematical algorithms, but is a collaborative process between the AI, the creator, and the viewer’s subjective interpretation and attribution of meaning. The result is a new and original image that is the product of both technological innovation and human creativity.

The variations of the AI generator (DALLE E 2) are “blind” in terms of content. Their assumed meaning is purely subjective meaning-creation by the viewer.