To many, they are art's next big thing — digital images of jellyfish pulsing and blurring in a dark pink sea, or dozens of butterflies fusing together into a single organism.
The Argentine artist Sofia Crespo, who created the works with the help of artificial intelligence, is part of the "generative art" movement, where humans create rules for computers which then use algorithms to generate new forms, ideas and patterns.
The field has begun to attract huge interest among art collectors — and even bigger price tags at auction.
US artist and programmer Robbie Barrat — a prodigy who is only 22 — sold a work called Nude Portrait #7 Frame #64 at Sotheby's in March for $821,000.
That came almost four years after the French collective Obvious sold a work at Christie's titled Edmond de Belamy — largely based on Barrat's code — for $432,500.
A ballet with machines
Collector Jason Bailey said that generative art was "like a ballet between humans and machines".
But the nascent scene could already be on the verge of a major shake-up, as tech companies begin to release AI tools that can whip up photorealistic images in seconds.
Artists in Germany and the US blazed a trail in computer-generated art during the 1960s.
The V&A museum in London keeps a collection going back more than half a century, one of the key works being a 1968 piece by German artist Georg Nees called Plastik 1.
Nees used a random number generator to create a geometric design for his sculpture.
'Babysitting' computers
Nowadays, digital artists work with supercomputers and systems known as generative adversarial networks, or GANs, to create images far more complex than anything Nees could have dreamt of.
GANs are sets of competing AIs — one generates an image from the instructions it is given, the other acts as a gatekeeper, judging whether the output is accurate.
When I'm working this way, I'm not creating an image. I'm creating a system that can create images
Robbie Barrat,
artist and programmer
If it finds fault, it sends the image back for tweaks and the first AI gets back to work for a second try to beat the gamekeeper.
But artists such as Crespo and Barrat insist that the artist is still central to the process, even if their working methods are not traditional.
"When I'm working this way, I'm not creating an image. I'm creating a system that can create images," Barrat said.
Crespo said she thought her AI machine would be a true "collaborator", but in reality it is incredibly tough to get even a single line of code to generate satisfactory results.
She said it was more like "babysitting" the machine.
Tech companies are now hoping to bring a slice of this rarefied action to regular consumers.
Google and OpenAI are both touting the merits of new tools they say bring photorealism and creativity without the need for coding skills.
Enter the 'transformers'
They have replaced GANs with more user-friendly AI models called "transformers" that are adept at converting everyday speech into images.
Google Images' webpage is filled with absurdist images generated by instructions such as: "A small cactus wearing a straw hat and neon sunglasses in the Sahara desert."
OpenAI boasts that its Dall·E 2 tool can offer any scenario in any artistic style, from the Flemish masters to Andy Warhol.
Although the arrival of AI has led to fears of humans being replaced by machines in fields from customer care to journalism, artists see the developments more as an opportunity than a threat.
Crespo has tried out Dall·E 2 and said it was a "new level in terms of image generation in general" — though she prefers her GANs.
"I very often don't need a model that is very accurate to generate my work, as I like very much when things look indeterminate and not easily recognisable," she said.
Camille Lenglois of Paris's Centre Pompidou — Europe's largest collection of contemporary art — also played down any idea that artists were about to be replaced by machines.
She said machines did not yet have the "critical and innovative capacity".
"The ability to generate realistic images does not make one an artist."
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
The years Ramadan fell in May
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
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