Since the invention of photography in the 19th century, the technology of the medium has constantly evolved. Image manipulation has always been a part of photography, from darkroom techniques to the magic of programs such as Photoshop. Artificial Intelligence is the most recent development that makes it easier than ever to create images that appear astonishingly ‘real’ but are fundamentally detached from reality.
AI does not utilize photography as a final product; instead, it can generate hyper-realistic images based on photographs, raising profound societal questions. If the naked eye cannot discern between an AI-generated image and a photograph, what does that mean for our understanding of photography? And if AI image generators draw on a history of photography, are the images they generate not still ‘photographic,’ even if strictly speaking, they are not photos?
