Driven by sci-fi classics, a dark dystopian and moody aesthetic has defined the AI visual language - up until now. Taking cues from gaming communities and cyberpunk subcultures, this design code prompts creatives to ask 'what picture do we want to paint?' Freyja Sewell, futurist, designer and artist, tells online design publication Dezeen: 'If everyone believes the future is dystopian, could that cause us to make it dystopian?'
Take the AI-generated Impossible Store for Nike by social commerce tool Drop, which depicts a collection of sneakers set on a grey and white backdrop of Mount Everest. Cold, subdued and chilling – the scene appears as if the space is both strangely serene and isolated from civilisation, evoking an uneasy feeling that transports viewers to an otherworldly realm.
In a similar mood, Jizai Arm's Social Digital Cyborgs project comments on the interactions between cyborgs in their own society. The film showcases a dancer with six detachable robot arms, gracefully blending human-like movements with the precision and fluidity of machine technology. It's provocative in its view of the future of symbiotic relationships in a fast-evolving, tech-driven world, where the aesthetic is stark and muted, reflecting a sense of introspection and contemplation.
In fashion, G-Star Raw Denim AI Collection co-opts a spectrum of grey undertones that draw parallels with our Doom Dressing fashion analysis, with its futuristic silhouettes and morphing forms. Drawing on the dystopian mood of game environments – and their anarchic qualities – Beck's AI Beer immerses participants in a cyberpunk-inspired realm where shades of green, red and black coalesce, evoking an eerie and haunting visual symphony reminiscent of iconic horror films like the Alien trilogy.
