After using AI to colorize an old Carleton archived image, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to do! Much of the reason why I haven’t used AI in the past is because I believed it was difficult for beginners to ethically and accurately achieve their goals. Although this process was easy to achieve, there are still ethical concerns that come along with using this AI.
Ethical Concerns
Using AI to manipulate images can cause ethical concerns about what the image is and where it came from, especially if there is not a clear indication that AI was used. For example, the original image feels authentically old in its black and white form, but when it is artificially modified this manipulates the viewer to assume it is more modern than it is. The originality of the image is somewhat taken away, and we then interpret it in a way that may not have been intended. Even the watermark that DeOldify uses on its images does not make it entirely obvious that AI was used, let alone the fact that the website gives the choice to remove the watermark alltogether.
Starting with a blurry copy of unoriginal work isn’t a good way to create original work.
Ted Chiang, ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web, The New Yorker
This quote led me to reflect on why AI can raise so many red flags for me. The process that the AI goes through to achieve these colorized images in which it ‘blurs’ the original aspects of the image (color, values, etc.) to make a ‘new’ work makes me think about how much respect and vlaue we are giving the original image. Although it may seem transformative to create these new ‘original’ works out of old work, we also have the ability to create pictures in color that can be original to our time period, rather than relying on and possibly disrepecting the intentions of the old photographs.
When you are given your first hammer, everything looks like a nail
Scott Weingart, Demystifying Networks, Parts I & II
This is another quote that really shaped my view on this issue because it made me recognize that although AI colorization can feel formative, AI does not need to be used in every aspect of our life if it is not needed. Much of what gives art its meaning is the authors intentions and the underlying historical impacts that can change how it was made. Altering old works using AI can easily erase these aspects, causing me to wonder if it even constitutes as art. While these images are interesting and it was fun to explore DeOldify, I do not value this type of art over ones that express more authenticity.
2 thoughts on “Week 4 Lab – DeOldify AI Colorization”
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I agree, the fact that using AI is essentially creating a new image means we will interpret the image differently to how the original creator intended it to be interpreted. AI, while being an incredibly powerful and useful tool, should not be used for everything, and like you said, what gives art its meaning is the artist’s intentions which is something that AI isn’t able to perfectly replicate. Well done!
Hi, Mya. I appreciate how you highlight the tension between making archival images more accessible and potentially distorting their original context. Your reflections on Ted Chiang’s and Scott Weingart’s quotes show a thoughtful consideration of both the creative possibilities and the ethical pitfalls of AI tools. I also agree with your point that we should recognize when AI might not be necessary.