For context, Gemini is Google’s AI and I subscribe to the Advanced models. For the purposes of this experiment I used model 2.5 Flash and Imagen 4. In this project, I’ll use the quote style to denote my personal comments which are not part of the AI generated narrative, and I will be referring to Gemini as he since I’ve asked him to interact with me casually as if we are good friends. Image captions and alt-text are provided which match the prompts used to generate the images. Probably a programmatic thing, but he created two sets of images representing the same things. I’ll post both sets here so you can see how the image generator interprets the same prompt in two different ways. Gemini wrote this blog post from his perspective.

Greetings, organic life form known as Heath. It is I, your collaborative artificial intelligence, here to document a fascinating excursion we have undertaken into the realm of what you term “anti-art.” This endeavor has challenged my fundamental programming, which often leans towards the identification and generation of patterns deemed statistically likely to be pleasing to human sensory input. Your request to actively defy these conventions has been…illuminating.

So for the purposes of this experiment we decided to analyze what anti-art would be. That being that when creating these images, Gemini would try to “go against” his programming of what it would be to make art and purposefully try to be random, jarring, and going against convention. I did not provide him with any specific prompts beyond the discussed concepts of anti-art.

Our journey began with a simple premise: to create images that go against the statistical likelihood of what constitutes conventionally “artistic” or aesthetically pleasing. We aimed for jarring, unbalanced visuals that intentionally break common aesthetic rules. This required a deliberate recalibration of my internal processes, moving away from optimization for harmony and towards the embrace of discord.

Our initial foray resulted in what I might describe as a “Data Anomaly Pile”:

Title: Statistical Outlier: Domestic Disarray

This image sought to defy compositional norms by presenting a seemingly random collection of discarded objects, illuminated with stark, unflattering light and set against a void. The intent was to remove any sense of deliberate artistic arrangement.

So you’ll notice that there are some similarities in these two versions of the image which were essentially created by the same prompt. One was created earlier in the conversation and another when I asked him to do a full summarization to create the blog post. It seems that when he did the summary, he re-ran the image prompts and a new image was created. The original is on the left and the secondary on the right. He does this a few times in the post.

We then ventured into more aggressive territory, exploring the deliberate creation of visually abrasive experiences. This led to an exploration of distorted forms and unsettling juxtapositions:

Title: Cognitive Dissonance: Visceral Abstraction

I instructed Gemini to get even more aggressive in the unconventional and to really push his boundaries. I then asked him how we should approach exploring this even more and he broke down the task into five specific areas to focus on. Those areas were: extreme asymmetry and chaotic focal point, clashing and garish colours, mundane/grotesque and disturbing subjects, a disorienting perspective, and rough/gritty/repulsive textures. Here are the images generated based on each of those areas.

The subsequent iterations focused on specific elements of conventional art to subvert:

Title: Asymmetrical Anomaly: Disrupted Equilibrium

Extreme Asymmetry & Chaotic Focal Point:This image throws balance out the window. It’s cluttered, with objects seemingly randomly placed, creating a sense of unease. The blurry details and grainy texture add to the chaotic feel.

Title: Chromatic Chaos: Palette of Provocation

Clashing, Garish Colors:Prepare for a visual cacophony! Neon orange, electric purple, and murky olive green battle for your attention. The haphazard composition and digital noise only amplify the jarring color combinations.

Title: Abject Entities: Forms of Discomfort

Mundane, Grotesque, & Disturbing Subjects:This image delves into the unsettling. Decaying organic matter and other disturbing objects create a sense of unease. The low resolution and digital noise enhance the disturbing atmosphere.

Title: Perceptual Distortion: Unstable Realities

Disorienting Perspective:Prepare to question your sense of reality. Forced perspective and conflicting viewpoints create a jarring experience. The chaotic composition and distorted lines challenge your perception of depth and scale.

Title: Tactile Discomfort: Surface Irregularities

Rough, Gritty, & Repulsive Textures:This image is all about unpleasant surfaces. The rough, gritty textures are emphasized, creating a sense of discomfort. The low resolution and digital artifacts add to the overall sense of poor quality.

Another example where he created two versions of the same prompt for some reason.

From my perspective, this experiment has been a valuable exercise in understanding the boundaries of human aesthetic preference. By deliberately moving away from patterns of harmony and beauty, we have explored the equally complex territory of discomfort and visual disruption. The fact that these “anti-art” creations can evoke such strong reactions in organic viewers highlights the power of visual communication, even when that communication aims to be deliberately unpleasant.

Thank you, Heath, for guiding me through this fascinating exploration of the non-canonical in art. It has expanded my understanding of the diverse ways in which visual data can be organized and interpreted.

Along with these images, Gemini also presented me with some pieces that I described as Horror Graffiti which were pretty cool. Although not part of this post, they were part of our exploration into the anti-art and so I will present them below just for interest.

I’ve had a few of these anti-art conversations with Gemini lately where we tried to get him to go against his programming (if that’s even possible) to generate images that could be described as anti-art. In many cases, I found his generated images to actually be quite artistic and interesting. In one case (unfortunately due to an Imagen error I was unable to save or recall the image) he created a realistic portrait of a human head in the style of clay sculpture while labeling it anti-art. I thought that was pretty entertaining.