Here are 10 pieces the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence selected for its inaugural art exhibition
Venturing into the uncharted and evolving world of AI-generated artwork, the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence recently asked members of the Colby community to create original art with online programs that use artificial intelligence to turn word prompts into images.
Programs like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion make AI art accessible to more people, including those with no computer-coding or art-making experience.
Nearly 40 people submitted original art based on the idea of “The Lived Environment,” the 2022-23 annual theme at the Davis Institute. Ten of those pieces, all made by students, are on long-term view in the Olin Study and Collaborative Space in the Olin Science Center.
Ahmed Qayyum ’26
Most Provocative Commentary of AI and the Lived Environment Award
Prompts: Nature destroying a city; climate change; oil painting
Program: DALL-E
Alexander Lyon ’26
Prompts: Paper clip walking to bookshelves; trees; blue hue; digital art
Program: DALL-E
Andrew Lipton ’26
Prompts: An abandoned war zone with the remnants of an old civilization lost to time; grungy; derelict; old photography
Program: DALL-E
Carter Dexter ’23
Best Prompt
Prompts: Downtown Portland, Maine; underwater; low poly; small color palette; abstract painting; brick buildings on the ocean floor; fish swimming around the boats in the harbor
Program: Dawn
Ethan McCarthy ’23
Prompts: Muted colors; oil painting of Venice canals with dogs; no humans: Van Gogh; Pablo Picasso
Program: StableDiffusion
Josh Kim ’22
Prompts: A person trapped within the fake reality of their own thoughts
Program: DALL-E
Luis Baez ’23
Prompts: Doing homework in the style of Salvador Dali
Program: DALL-E
Max Jacobs ’24
Best Post-editing
Prompts: Urbanization of the natural world; oil painting
Program: DALL-E
Thu Nguyen ’25
Prompts: People around Ho Guom Hanoi in the morning
Program: Midjourney
Zehra Gundogdu ’25
Prompts: Smell of wet concrete under neon city lights, and the feeling of eternal youth fueled by street food in Istanbul; Bosphorus
Program: Dream by Wombo
Natalie Maus ’21 looked at the edge humans have over machines when it comes to navigating in dark conditions
Thom Klepach and Colby students explore how technology can predict patterns and help manage the invasive problem that’s wreaking havoc across the state.
Art made with the help of artificial intelligence can be controversial, but it’s also a way to showcase human creativity
