The Shop of Terrifying Thoughts

Generative image and large language models - popularly known as "artificial intelligence" - exploded into the public consciousness only two years ago. It is rare, although more and more often, that the appearance of a new technology provokes such a strong antipathy in many people.

Not a few, even notable authorities, envision the death of human creativity, in extreme cases sometimes even of humanity. Are they right or wrong? I do not know. I, who have been involved in image and text creation all my life as a media artist, filmmaker and writer, am excited by the possibilities and perspectives of the new technology. I feel, if I couldn't make a film, I could still create a world out of text and visuals.

Somewhere in the areas of literature, fine art, film and digital art, or rather opened up, in the attraction of all of them, but not identical to any of them, there is a new possibility of expression that is emerging, which some people consider art, others consider it an eyesore.

There is no doubt that both photography and film appeared in their first breaths as fairground attractions and technological sensations, but it is also true that the artistic possibilities and forms of these genres were also awakened there. Moreover, both inventions forced the muses who saw them as competitors to look for new ideas.

Anyway. They spring from a stem, creatures that expand human existence. Just as the light and the object placed in the light disturb and make the light-sensitive analog or digital surface react, so the text and the idea stimulate and force the neural nets of the generative models to react.

It is likely that we are witnessing another epochal turn in art and technology. We will be dealing with many, many results that have little tinsel or at least artistic value, but there will also be some that deepen and enrich our worlds.

I leave it up to the visitor to judge how much of what is in the Shop of Terrifying Thoughts.