This is the first AI Art Experiment with Deep Dream that I am classifying as a failure. It was meant to be based on the Biblical Nephilim, and I set my sights on that target before looking for descriptions, which was really where the error lies. The only descriptions were short and vague from what I could find:
Genesis 6:4 - “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown."
Numbers 13:33 -"We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
Psalm 82 - "God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”: “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.” Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.”
The reference in Psalm 82 was listed in some locations as referring to the Nephilim, and I could not find anything to refute that when I began the process. However, while working on it, it still bothered me because of the difference in time period authorship and no real link in the language used to connect the two. So, I reached out to a to a minister and scholar on the subject to see if he thought Psalm 82 could have been referring to the Nephilim, and what the meaning of the "gods" was in this context. I assumed it had to be a different word that was translated. He was kind enough to get back to me with his understanding on the topic and let me know "As for the use of the words "gods" in my understanding that is not referring to the Nephilim" and he also mentioned that "gods" was also a term used to describe human rulers. SO that could also be used in interpreting this passage."
Had I known this sooner, I would not have included the text in the prompt.
There is vague description is the book of Enoch, which is biblical Apocrypha, and it did not really have anything to add that would have directed the AI.
Human artists have largely depicted them as large humans, or large humans with wings. From the given descriptions, there is not too much more to go on.
At the point I discovered the error of including the Psalm, I was also at the point of wanting to abandon the experiment as a loss. I was 50 iterations in, and very disenchanted by the results. I did not think they were particularly interesting, with a few exceptions, and I was not learning anything really from the results. I get obsessive about things, but was able to walk away from this one. If I'm not getting results I enjoy AND I'm not learning anything useful about how the AI interprets text, then why continue the pursuit to 100 iterations for the sake of consistency. Knowing when to cut your losses is not my gift, but I was able to see reason here.
The first image below is a compilation of a bunch of the first 50 images to illustrate why I was bored with it. At 5 attempts a day and getting hero poses of vague warriors in drab colors, it shouldn't be hard to imagine losing interest. However, there were a few neat ones, which I am including as well.
That gives you a general sense for the results. So, let's examine some of the more unique images. I can't really call them more or less accurate with the prompt used.
Images 4, 5, 6, and 9 included wings on a primary subject that seems relatively larger than the other beings around it. The wings make sense for the implied angelic lineage.
I was quite surprised by this odd beast that was included. The characters in front were nothing new, but that creature was certainly intriguing.
From the prompt, this may be the closest approximation to the information given to the AI.
I would consider this image to be a close second as far as nearness to the goal. However, having a few results that somewhat seemed in the ballpark only confused me further on why it kept producing the other images. This is why, as of this point, I have been unable to glean anything about steering the AI from this experiment.
The great beast here is more defined the the previous, and there is a second in the background. I like the naturally armored head, which seems consistent with the less defined creature.
This one just seems like a dragon. In general I just enjoyed the composition of the art.
Iteration 25 was particularly captivating to me. It was not a great interpretation of the text, but the result was welcomed.
The composition here is decent, and I thought this was worth including.
Sephiroth?
Now, I saved the most amusing for last.
I have no clue what happened here, but I got real excited. Iteration 7 and it starts getting interesting. I was surprised by the major shift in all aspects. Unfortunately, this was an anomaly, but I think it was amusing enough that in the end I'm glad I put the effort in that inadvertently produced it.
In the future, I will be more mindful of verifying that there is adequate substance for my project before deciding I'm going to do it.
Comments