I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO AMERICA

hube: Can you tell us a bit more about the way I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO AMERICA book explores the relationship between AI and visual storytelling?

Filip Koludrovic: Of course, I believe it showcases a way to go further with our creativity with significantly fewer physical limitations. Painting a portrait was a much longer process, photography changed that and I truly believe the next step is AI. We are getting closer and closer to a moment where the visions in our imagination could be instantly transported to a screen. This book follows a photographer (me) as he visits the States for the first time (without every physical being there). What would usually take me months or maybe years to document, situations I could not maybe not even access I could witness in my mind and therefore could “photograph” it with the help of AI.

h: The book addresses the role of human creativity and interpretation in photography. Could you start by outlining what inspired you to create it and why you chose America?

FK: I think mostly it addresses the transaction between humanity to Artificial Intelligence, the voyage is a metaphor. Human creativity is always the center, this is just another form of expression.

I chose America because of multiple reasons. First of all, it’s a country you are invested not always by your own personal choice. Black Lives Matter, a 70 year old grandma in my small village in Croatia is talking about it. President Trump holds a press conference, someone is sharing memes on the other part of the world, earthquakes, fires, Hollywood, TV shows, school shootings, Kardashians, Music Videos and ofcourse, the American flag. Everyone in the world knows it, everyone knows about 9/11. So I decided to visit the land I know so much about, I decided to go Trick or Treat, decided to go see college dorms, join a fraternity, sleep in a camp trailer, drink with rednecks, all of it while sitting in my rooftop apartment in Paris on a rainy night.

h: In your opinion, can AI truly capture the essence of a place or experience as deeply and genuinely as a photographer?

FK: No.

h: Can you walk us through the process of generating an “episode,” a page, or a photo for I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO AMERICA? Are there any favorite techniques or specific algorithms used to convey the exact feeling in the images?

FK: Sure! First few weeks were just free roaming around America, so I would just imagine something like waking up in nature in a small camp trailer. Then I would go and hunt for that visual, using Midjourney and DALL-E 2. I could write something like “Morning scene in a small run down camp trailer, interior shot with soft light penetrating through the window, messy bed with floral print, 90mm lens Nikon 35 mm analog photograph”. Then I would choose the best ones and continue “Breakfast in front of a small camp trailer set in nature, hazey fresh morning light, a bit nostalgic Nikon analogue photograph.” and so on.

Later comes the post process and curation with the help of the Art Director Deni Horvatic and graphic design.

h: Art and tech are two elements of the human experience that have been with us for millennia. We associate tech with progress, while art seems to disconnect us from reality. How can we relate art to progress?

FK: Maybe its time to change those associations. Art is progress and tech these days can very easily disconnect us from reality.

h: Could the development of algorithms, such as AI, boost our creativity? What does the future hold for photography in this relation?

FK: Does making it easy from a technical aspect necessarily mean boosting to our creativity, time will tell. I like to think of AI>Photography as Photography>Painting. The huge campaign against photography advocating that creativity will die but what we got instead were some of the greatest artists of modern times: Dali, Picasso, Rothko… I am not afraid of creativity but I believe AI killed photography in a way.