--- title: "Mad Scientist Forces AI to Make Horrific Pictures Out of BuzzFeed Headlines" description: "AI-generated images have always been creepy, but one artist's neural network-guided interpretation of BuzzFeed headlines takes it to a whole new dimension." date: "2022-02-07" modified: "2022-02-07" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/ai-buzzfeed-headlines" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "deep neural networks" - "elon musk" - "grimes" - "nfts" --- # Mad Scientist Forces AI to Make Horrific Pictures Out of BuzzFeed Headlines ![AI-generated images have always been creepy, but one artist's neural network-guided interpretation of BuzzFeed headlines takes it to a whole new dimension.]() *\Image: @Somnai\_dreams via Twitter\* AI-generated images have [always been creepy](), but one artist's neural network-guided interpretation of *BuzzFeed* headlines takes it to a whole new dimension. It appears that these otherworldly images created by generative artist Somnai, whose real name is Max Ingham, were prompted by an interaction with Max Woolf, a *BuzzFeed* data scientist. While quote-tweeting some of the artist's "needlepoint" work, Woolf quipped that he had a "legit need" to look into how well the fairly new neural network Contrastive Language-Image Pre-Training ([better known as CLIP]()) would handle *BuzzFeed*'s [infamously-memeable headlines](). "Good idea," Ingham responded. "Gonna load some up now." https://twitter.com/Somnai_dreams/status/1490515944430776321 The results, which the artist posted a few hours later, are downright nightmarish. From the diffusion-remixed version of the [sickening 20 pounds of cabbage]() to the [disgusting-looking pink Kraft mac and cheese](), the food this generative artist and his AI dreamed up are downright nasty — probably because the source material was gross to begin with. But the real icing on the cake, the *pièce de resistance* of the whole thing, is the way the neural network mashed up Grimes and Elon Musk to create a creepy-looking baby that feels very much like what [Little X]() will look like once they're old enough to [pick their own hairstyles](). https://twitter.com/Somnai_dreams/status/1490520453215326208 Beyond just understanding the assignment to an absolute tee, it's likely that Somnai's work — and other generative works of art like it — is so particularly fascinating to look at because it's built on the [diffusion model](), a newer type of neural network inspired by thermodynamics. With applications ranging from [greater predictive capabilities for MRI imaging]() to, of course, [creating Eldritch horrors](), this new type of neural network makes the "[deep dream]()" AI-generated images of the mid-2010s seem like children's drawings in comparison. https://twitter.com/yontelbrot/status/1489991877982302209 It's worth noting that many of the artists that use diffusion models to generate art are [selling them as non-fungible tokens]() (NFTs) — but as far as AI-generated art is concerned, these are a hell of a lot more interesting and unique than [Bored Apes]() or 8-bit "[CryptoPunks]()." In less than a decade, neural networks have gone from goofy psychedelia to beautiful, phantasmagoric works of art. These may represent a tiny subsection of the NFT craze, but they do make it seem just a bit more redeemable. *Updated to reflect the artist's name and to clarify the diffusion model he used.* **More creepy neural network art:** [*AI Generates Haunting New Tarot Cards*]() **More on dark AIs:** [*Advanced AIs Exhibiting Depression and Addiction, Scientists Say*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()