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AI artists make black and fat sci-fi characters

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He was hooked. “Science fiction is kind of like my church,” said Smith, who is now 47 and lives in Philadelphia. “It’s spiritual and very connected to who I am as a queer black person.” However, the problem with his church is that there is not a lot of black (or queer) representation.

Mainstream science fiction features black characters such as Morpheus from matrixMace Windu from star Warsand Lieutenant Commander LaForge and Nyota Uhura from Star Trek. But in general, black characters are not given the same prominence and screen time as their white counterparts. And when blacks are present, they tend to presumptuously and traditionally appeal. Fat and black bodies are rare.

Smith said, pointing to a figure Baron Vladimir Harkonnen V.I Dune.UndefinedUndefinedHe added, “I was doing a weird sci-fi reading series called Laser Life, and when I was looking for guest readers, the first story I got portrayed a fat villain. The character’s obesity was described in hateful terms and taken as a clear indication of their vice. It’s really disappointing.”

So when accessible AI art generators came out last year, Smith, already an established visual artist, adopted these tools to get creative. Many black, fat, and queer characters From a more inclusive futuristic world. Among them was Marcus, whom Smith brought to life using Midjourney and an act, which is an artificial intelligence platform that creates talking avatars. Marcus heads a department at the Afro Electrosciences Institute, which Smith has called “an independent, superhero-led African future organization working in biomechanics, cosmic engineering, nanotechnology, and medicinal chemistry.”

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An eccentric, Smith described Marcus as “a kind of smart alcoholic. A big, likable geek who thinks he’s a bit of a gangster. He likes to study moths and ants and tries to see what about insect life can be replicated in human life.” In one gif of Marcus, which Smith posted to his Instagram, the character asks, “Who here is going to draw me?”



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I let the AI ​​pick my makeup for a week

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I Fine artist. Almost every aspect of my life is driven by a desire to create, no matter the medium — from DIY projects to Cosplay and elaborate facial makeupI am constantly making something new. I am always eager to try new technologies, tools and technology, so I am naturally fascinated by AI generators. While I am aware of the ongoing rhetoric surrounding AI art, incl Lawsuits and ethical discussions, my curiosity is much stronger than my apprehension about it.

That’s why I decided to let the AI ​​pick my makeup over the course of five days. For consistency, I used a A dream from Wombo The app to create all the themes featured below. (I also picked this app because there was a 200-character limit per prompt, and I loved the challenge of shorter prompts.) While I did my best to faithfully recreate the look in AI images, I took human liberties based on the supplies I had on hand. And my own hobbies. This is what I made with the help of a machine.



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Twitter will only put paid users on your feed

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This comes after a few days Twitter announced Those older verified accounts will lose their blue check mark starting April 1 unless they sign up for the paid Twitter Blue. At the same time, Twitter is working on a method for paid subscribers Hide blue checksprobably because it might seem awkward to have one if all it means is that you paid for it.

Together, both changes could get more subscribers (Twitter hopes), but also ensure that the For You page becomes a collection of shoppers, ramblers, and anyone else who wants to pay for Twitter. Oh, and the brands. By limiting amplification to only a small amount of paid users, it makes the For You page more open, and brands can get more traction and amplification in a free Tweet for paying for Blue than buying ads.

Normal, unpaid accounts are only supposed to be visible in the following feed, the time feed of only people you follow — basically, what Twitter used to be.



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We spoke to the man behind the viral photo of the Pope

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Over the weekend, a photo of Pope Francis looking dapper in a white puffer jacket went viral on social media. The 86-year-old seated pope appears to be suffering from some serious cataplexy. But there was just one problem: the photo wasn’t real. Created with Midjourney’s artificial intelligence technical tool.

As word spread across the internet that the image was created by artificial intelligence, many expressed their surprise. “I thought the pope’s puffer jacket was real and never thought about it again,” Chrissy Teigen chirp. “No way can I escape the future of technology.” Garbage Day newsletter writer and former BuzzFeed News correspondent Ryan Broderick invited him “The first real mass-level AI misinformation case,” it follows in the aftermath Fake photos of the arrest of Donald Trump by police in New York last week.

Now, for the first time, the image’s creator has shared the story of how he created the image that fooled the world.

Pablo Xavier, a 31-year-old construction worker from the Chicago area who declined to give his last name due to fears he would be attacked for taking the photos, said he was stumbling through dorm rooms last week when he came up with the idea for the photo.

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“I try to figure out ways to make something funny because that’s what I usually try to do,” he told BuzzFeed News. “I try to do funny things or tripartite-psychedelic things. It just dawned on me: I have to do the Pope. Then it came like water: “The Pope in a fluffy Balenciaga coat, Moncler, walking the streets of Rome, Paris, things like that.”

He generated the first three images at around 2pm local time last Friday. (He first started using Midjourney after the death of one of his brothers in November. “It almost all started, just dealing with grief and taking pictures of my ex,” he said. “I fell in love with her after that.”)

When Pablo Xavier first saw the Pope’s photos, he said, “I thought they were perfect.” So he sent it to a Facebook group called AI Art Universe, and then on Reddit. He was shocked when the photos went viral. He said, “I didn’t want it to explode like that.”



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