A random guy at a coffee shop in Portland changed how I see AI art

I was working on my laptop at this place called Stumptown last week, messing around with one of those new image generators. This older guy next to me, maybe in his 60s, leaned over and said, 'You know, that thing just made me cry yesterday.' I asked him what he meant. He told me he'd typed in a description of his childhood dog, a specific mutt named Buddy he had in 1978, and the AI spit out a picture that was 'spookily close.' He said it wasn't perfect, but seeing that fuzzy face again after 40 years hit him hard. It wasn't about the tech being smart, it was about it being a weirdly good memory machine. I mean, I'd only ever thought of it for memes or concept art before. Has anyone else had an experience where AI made something that felt weirdly personal?

3 comments

3 Comments

adamellis2mo ago

That "weirdly good memory machine" idea got me. I never considered how it could help people who've lost photos over the years, not just make new stuff.

cole_lee92mo ago

My grandma's old house, same weird feeling.

elliot_grant3822d ago

Bring back that memory machine thing, it's just remembering an old house. That's not some deep mystery, that's just how memories work. I get what @adamellis was saying about helping people with lost photos but this feels like you're way overthinking it. Every old house has that vibe, it's just because we spent time there as kids and our brains attached feelings to it. Not every weird feeling is supernatural or profound, sometimes it's just nostalgia playing tricks on you.