Gandhi and Bose in the time of AI: Artist imagines world leaders from the past taking selfies

A digital artist on Instagram harnessed the power of Midjourney AI and Photoshop, and reimagined a world where world leaders from the distant past, would have smartphones, and would post selfies on social media.

Mehul Reuben Das March 22, 2023 15:23:59 IST
Mahatma Gandhi: Simple sombre and a dainty smile, now this is a picture worth a thousand words. The artist, Jyo John Mulloor used Midjourney, an AI bot that recreates images, and usually has this quasi-anime look. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Mahatma Gandhi: Simple sombre and a dainty smile, now this is a picture worth a thousand words. The artist, Jyo John Mulloor used Midjourney, an AI bot that recreates images, and usually has this quasi-anime look. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Albert Einstein: The selfie of a genius. Note how the subject in the AI-generated “selfie” is off to the side, and does not follow the generic conventions that have become the template for a selfie. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Albert Einstein: The selfie of a genius. Note how the subject in the AI-generated “selfie” is off to the side, and does not follow the generic conventions that have become the template for a selfie. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President of the United States, surely looks suave. Mulloor, the digital artist behind these images, also uses Photoshop to add a different flair to what Midjourney creates from his prompts. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President of the United States, surely looks suave. Mulloor, the digital artist behind these images, also uses Photoshop to add a different flair to what Midjourney creates from his prompts. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru: The first Prime Minister of India, living up to the adage “chacha” or “uncle,” surrounded by children. One thing that stands out here, is how the AI model has pretty much the same reference for men’s clothes here. Nehru, would for sure have worn his signature styled coat instead of the western garb he is shown wearing. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru: The first Prime Minister of India, living up to the adage “chacha” or “uncle,” surrounded by children. One thing that stands out here, is how the AI model has pretty much the same reference for men’s clothes here. Nehru, would for sure have worn his signature styled coat instead of the western garb he is shown wearing. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Che Guevara: The Cuban revolutionary sure knows how to make selfies interesting, at least the AI bot thinks so. As would have been the case, here, he is pictured with the working class of Cuba. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Che Guevara: The Cuban revolutionary sure knows how to make selfies interesting, at least the AI bot thinks so. As would have been the case, here, he is pictured with the working class of Cuba. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Dr BR Ambedkar: An inspiration for generations to come, Dr Ambedkar, is pictured here with a bunch of students. Note how the AI picked up the blue colour of the suit, given that there are very few, real photographs of him in a blue suit. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Dr BR Ambedkar: An inspiration for generations to come, Dr Ambedkar, is pictured here with a bunch of students. Note how the AI picked up the blue colour of the suit, given that there are very few, real photographs of him in a blue suit. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Joseph Stalin: A highly divisive figure from the past, Stalin sure looks happy here. Also, a thing to note here would be how each of the photos seems to have very similar-looking moustaches. This again points to a limited number of data sets that the AI model is working off of. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Joseph Stalin: A highly divisive figure from the past, Stalin sure looks happy here. Also, a thing to note here would be how each of the photos seems to have very similar-looking moustaches. This again points to a limited number of data sets that the AI model is working off of. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Mother Teresa: Here we have Mother Teresa with other nuns and women who worked with her during her mission in India. Notice how the AI bot has treated her wrinkles and the tone of her skin, giving it a somewhat, Indo-touch. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Mother Teresa: Here we have Mother Teresa with other nuns and women who worked with her during her mission in India. Notice how the AI bot has treated her wrinkles and the tone of her skin, giving it a somewhat, Indo-touch. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Another polarising and extremely divisive leader from the past, here we have Winston Churchill and his iconic hat. We have to say that the reason why we recognise this sketch to be that of Churchill, has to be his hat. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Another polarising and extremely divisive leader from the past, here we have Winston Churchill and his iconic hat. We have to say that the reason why we recognise this sketch to be that of Churchill, has to be his hat. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: Finally, we have Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and his troop of soldiers, most of whom are young students. The AI model seems to struggle in dealing with glasses or elements. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram
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Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: Finally, we have Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and his troop of soldiers, most of whom are young students. The AI model seems to struggle in dealing with glasses or elements. | Image Credit: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram