Photojournalist Carl De Keyzer used generative AI to create photos featured in his new book *Putin's Dream*. This sparked criticism from some who accused him of creating false visuals and spreading misinformation.
Creating *Putin’s Dream*
After the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Carl De Keyzer was unable to travel and decided to use generative AI to produce a series of photographs about Russia. Leveraging his genuine photos of Russia taken during his visits in the 1980s and 2000s, De Keyzer uploaded these into an AI program. He modified the output to match his aesthetic preferences, creating the *Putin's Dream* series. The photojournalist explained that using AI helped reflect on the horrors of the war in Ukraine as the product of one man's imagination.
Criticism and Public Reaction
Carl De Keyzer received mixed reactions to his initiative. While some found the photos fake, others praised the author's creative approach. Magnum Photos, an international photographic cooperative, also faced criticism as De Keyzer is a member. Other Magnum members, like Jonas Bendiksen and Michael Christopher Brown, have followed the example of using AI.
AI Image Generation Statistics
Between 2022 and 2023, text-to-image algorithms created over 15 billion images. Currently, an average of 34 million photos are generated daily. About 80% of these images, totaling 12.59 billion, were produced using open-source LLM models and applications based on the Stable Diffusion technology.
The use of generative AI to create images is becoming increasingly widespread globally. While it draws mixed opinions, such technologies offer new possibilities for creative exploration in visual arts.
