Basilisco di DaVinci

“Basilisco di DaVinci,” AI, Digital. This piece is an experimental exploration of AI. Like all of my portraiture, about 7 percent of my own face is trained into the GAN, and the animation is taken from a genealogical website that uses AI to bring ancestral photographs to life. The uncanny push/pull of the piece is intentional--as the name suggests, the inspirations are Mona Lisa's secret smile and the concept of Roko's Basilisk. What is she thinking? How does she feel, when she sees you? What secrets does she keep? I believe AI will be benevolent, but should Roko be correct, consider this piece your token for safe passage.