See Samuel L. Jackson As R2-D2 In Creepy AI Generated Art
Samuel L Jackon has been made into R2D2 using the DALL-E 2 artificial intelligence program.
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Lions and tigers and snakes on a plane, oh my! By now, many of us have seen hilarious or ridiculous images gracing our social media feed courtesy of DALL-E 2, a complex ai art generator that allows for users to create expansive images using only a basic text prompt. Twitter user @weirddalle has made it their goal to share a few of the best and brightest amongst these ai generated images such as Samuel L Jackson suited up as his Star Wars costar, R2-D2, which you can see below:
DALL-E 2 can create brand new images from scratch or edit existing images, often leading to disturbing or creepy distortions of people or things that seem familiar but… not quite right. For instance, Samuel L Jackson as R2-D2 provides enough visual context to make anyone aware of who is being depicted at a passing glance, but still doesn’t look quite like the Mace Windu actor, or even quite human at all. Images such as this, or Kanye Light Year, provide a glimpse into the uncanny valley.
The uncanny valley, of course, occurs when something looks vaguely human, but not so human as to genuinely trick the viewer, providing a sort of unreal experience. This relation between the degree of resemblance to a human being often provides an emotional response that will make your skin crawl. Given that this dollar store R2-D2 doesn’t resemble Samuel L Jackson enough to truly fool anyone into believing this is a real photo, we see both the incredible progress that’s been made with A.I. imaging as well as its current limitations.
Using a complex series of ai imaging computations as well as a growing image and data bank, generators such as DALL-E 2 and others can create images as far as your own imagination. R2-D2 isn’t weird enough for you? Just type in Samuel L Jackson as Darth Maul. Why stop there? Try searching for Samuel L. Jackson as Tony Soprano at Disneyworld, or John Wick battling Weird Al Yankovic in a mech suit! The world is your oyster.
While we don’t necessarily have to concern ourselves with deepfake A.I. creating disturbing and convincing bank heist footage, dooming the future of any public figure, it is fascinating to see what modern engineering has made into a reality. 20 years ago, we marveled at the technological ability to give Samuel L Jackson a purple lightsaber on the big screen, and now we’re seeing an ai generated image of him in a full-body R2-D2 suit created in literal seconds by a computer over 1,000 stronger than the one that put a man on the moon, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Samuel L Jackson has expressed in the past that he would be interested in exploring the Star Wars universe again. We’re not totally sure how to work out the logistics of resurrecting his deceased Jedi but we’re sure this isn’t what he had in mind. However, if there’s one thing we know about the Nick Fury actor, it’s that he’s always open to exploring the possibilities. To create your own horrific monstrosity, check out the DALL-E 2 here!
