Where AI meets LSD

Programmer creates Dreamscapes using Google’s AI.

Art in the digital age is a whole new frontier. That would make Johan Nordberg a pioneer.

Nordberg is a programmer that recently took to writing computer code that corresponds with Google’s Deep Dream Generator. Without getting into the tech of it all, he basically took the thought process of this artificial neural network and folded it on itself, creating a feedback loop. Ultimately this gives him the ability to submit one specific topic to the AI (“Animals” or “Buildings” are the examples at hand) and the program then displays the Dream-imagery as it develops in continuous images. I know, it’s hard to articulate. Just watch it for yourself as he incorporates his work into music videos for electronic artists.

How do these videos make me feel? For me, this type of fractal-centric, immersive universe of images flowing into each other is the ultimate therapy. They honestly make me feel relaxed. They make me feel unburdened. Through one man’s creative augmentation of an AI platform I find myself actually optimizing my own mind by losing sight of the mental waste and distractions of the day. While scrolling the feed on your favorite social media site is sure to be rife with judgements, expectations and emotional potholes, watching Nordberg’s videos is more like open-eyed meditation. It simultaneously incorporates visual art, music and the “drone” of stimulation that helps the brain relax. It’s psychedelic, without the drugs. It’s Pop Art without the print. It’s accessible, and immersive, and inspiring.

All in the name of computer science. Go figure.