Locusts of Revelation, an AI experiment was my first experience with AI generated art. It was inspired by these often odd renditions of the Locusts of Revelation. I was curious to see what AI would make of the description.
Revelation 9: 7-11 "7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer)."
It is easy to see why the description evocates such strange depictions. The comparisons all seem to logically clash, and to end up with something approximating the description is difficult at best.
I want to break apart the distinct descriptive features: 1. These are locusts being discussed. 2. They looked like horses prepared for battle. 3. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold.
4. Their faces resemble human faces.
5. Their hair was like women's hair. 6. Their teeth were like lion's teeth.
7. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron.
8. the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
9. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.
10. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
I have included these artist depictions so far so that you would have some idea of the art I was familiar with that tried to represent the description. All of these I have found to be ignoring some key detail by omitting at least one descriptor entirely.
The one that would be up for debate would be the inclusion of the text about Abaddon, and if that is significant as a descriptor. I believe it is indeed important from an artistic standpoint, but I also found in my research that those who try to interpret whether this judgement has already come to pass will generally include this as well and tie it to their rationale.
Below is the most consistent example given of a modern object that could fit the description.
I want this image to be evaluated against the established descriptors. 1. These are locusts being discussed. - I see no attempt to meet this criteria, nor anything I can associate from the image.
2. They looked like horses prepared for battle. - No attempt to meet this criteria other than the fact that this is an instrument of battle. However, this is a visual description. There is no indicator that these are instruments of battle. They are a punishment, not a force to be fought.
3. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold. - The crossed sabers with a sword running between them are not consistent features on the Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter. While there is the possibility of the symbol being related to a specific regiment, I was unable to find a direct connection between this insignia and any division crest despite hours of searching. The crossed sabers are generally used for cavalry, and the upraised sword running between can be symbolic of airborne mobility, but I cannot find a concrete connection. It is more likely an artistic choice by the pilots. It is not common to have images displayed on this area of the helicopter.
4. Their faces resemble human faces. - There are human faces within the vehicle. The face of the vehicle does not resemble a human face though. This is a bit of a stretch.
5. Their hair was like women's hair. - No attempt to meet this criteria.
6. Their teeth were like lion's teeth. - "Their teeth." This description is a general description that is to apply to entities in question. This painting of teeth on the helicopter is not that common. It is also a feature that was added with paint. By the logic here, any kid who gets some face paint of a predator would meet two criteria having the face of a human and "lion's teeth." This is really bending the description to meet the proposed object.
7. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron. - The underside of the helicopter is made of metal, but it is not shaped to resemble a breastplate. The distinction of this being equivalent to a breast area is not valid either as the vehicle is not anthropomorphic. I have heard the argument that the writer was trying to describe something he had never seen, so he used the closest examples available. Well, yes I would assume that is true. What I do not think follows the logic is someone in 70AD referring to a flat green surface under something as "like a breastplate of iron." That takes for granted knowledge of what modern things are made out of.
8. The sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. - Alright, to be fair, this one checks out. I can see the comparison and I don't think this one is far fetched.
9. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. - The tail does not resemble a scorpions. The power to torment people for five months is completely over looked. The tail had stingers, but on a helicopter, that stinger would have one attempt at hurting something before the entire aircraft failed.
10. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer). - I have seen on reference address this part in relation to the helicopter. Saddam Hussein was tied to this because of desert storm, and because the name Saddam means Destroyer in Arabic. The problem with that theory is that the name Saddam (Arabic: صدام, Ṣaddām) does not mean "destroyer." All sources point to it meaning "one who confronts" as the closest definition to that. Per wikipedia, "The Hebrew term Abaddon (Hebrew: אֲבַדּוֹן ’Ăḇaddōn, meaning "destruction", "doom"), and its Greek equivalent Apollyon (Koinē Greek: Ἀπολλύων, Apollúōn meaning "Destroyer") appear in the Bible as both a place of destruction and an angel of the abyss. In the Hebrew Bible, abaddon is used with reference to a bottomless pit, often appearing alongside the place Sheol (שְׁאוֹל Šəʾōl), meaning the resting place of dead peoples." I have been able to confirm translations of the Greek and Hebrew personally with individuals who speak the ancient forms of those languages. I cannot confirm the Arabic at this time as I am awaiting a response there, but the evidence provided seems sufficient to dismiss this correlation.
I am not on a mission to refute the claims of others, though. I wanted to give examples, including the helicopter one, but I could not include it without addressing the major problems in that theory.
To the experiment.
The first AI that seemed to be a viable resource for this test was Deep Dream. This site allows image creation from text. From setting up the first process, I knew that I wanted to run several tests in repetition without changing the input to the extent possible. The goal was to have the AI repeat the process of trying to generate an image from this text alone and to see if it could get any closer to the description that human artists have done. For this first post of the experiment, I have included the first 60 images. These are the parameters that I set for the image creation:
Iteration one was produced and it occurred to me that there was a decent chance I would end up with a lot of pictures of horses if I did not adjust it a little. I found that there was a negative modifier so things could be excluded, and I added "no horses" after this first image was generated. It was in the parameter picture, but was only added after this image. This was the first significant change made to the process, and the only change up to iteration 60.
Iteration 2 is still one of my favorites. From the style of art that the AI chose, to the nuances that can be found throughout the image, this image does not disappoint.
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 3
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 4
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 5
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 6
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 7
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 8
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 9
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 10
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 11
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 12
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 13
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 14
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 15
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 16
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 17
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 18
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 19
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 20
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 21
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 22
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 23
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 24 This one turned out oddly similar to iteration 21. Some features occur in both, but do not seem to be represented anywhere in the text.
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 25
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 26
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 27
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 28
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 29
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 30
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 31
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 32
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 33
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 34
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 35
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 36
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 37
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 38
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 39
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 40
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 41
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 42
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 43
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 44
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 45
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 46
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 47
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 48
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 49
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 50
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 51
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 52
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 53
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 54
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 55
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 56
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 57
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 58
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 59
Locusts of Revelation - Iteration 60
Due to having to wait for energy to generate over time, I was very limited on how often I could produce images. The first image was generated on 4/3/2023 and the 60th image was generated on 4/25/2023. At this point, my account managed to meet the criteria to increase my max energy stored and the amount of energy generated per hour. That is why there is a distinction between 1-60 and 61-100. I will get into that in part two, when I am able to complete that portion. As of 5/9/2023 I am at 98 images generated.
Analysis so far
I limited my discussion of individual images because art is best left to each person and not influenced. How often did the key descriptors appear?: 1. These are locusts being discussed. - 13/60 or 22% 2. They looked like horses prepared for battle. - 13/60 or 22% 3. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold. - 31/60 or 52%
4. Their faces resemble human faces. - 38/60 or 63%
5. Their hair was like women's hair. - 8/60 or 13% 6. Their teeth were like lion's teeth. - 15/60 or 25%
7. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron. - 53/60 or 88%
8. the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. - 8/60 or 13%
9. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. - 1/60 or 2%
10. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer) - 12/60 or 20% What unexpected patterns occurred?: 1. Glitch/mostly unrecognizable - 4/60 or 7%
2. 1 creature/human - 3/60 or 5% 3. 2 creature/human - 21/60 or 35%
4. 3 creature/human - 16/60 or 27%
5. 4+ creature/ human - 19/60 or 32%
6. Background "war" or "group"- 31/60 or 52%
7. Colors, of any amount, other than black, white, gold and/or blue present - 19/60 or 32%
8. Black, White, Gold, and/or Blue Dominant - 39/60 or 65% 9. Black & White - 17/60 or 28%
10. Photo Realistic Style - 38/60 or 63% 11. Painting or drawing style - 23/60 or 38%
With the current data, if you were to enter the same parameters, you would most likely get the AI to make you an image containing: Humans with gold crowns and breastplates of iron. Either 2 or 4+ humans/creatures, a war or large group in the background, that is photo realistic, but dominantly colored with black, white, gold, and blue. Except that it would most likely not look nearly as normal as that sounds. I have seen many of the images that this AI has come up with from descriptions. They are stunning and beautiful. They often are very near the description. This is basically outside of the reach of the AI, as it is for humans as well.