Vienna has launched a tourism campaign using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate cat-themed versions of famous Austrian artworks.
In the humorous campaign, the Vienna Tourist Board says: “Sorry, Egon. Sorry, Gustav. Sorry, Otto. Sorry, Friedensreich. But these days people just can’t get enough of cat content.
“And AI tools like DALL-E and Midjourney now enable users to insert these four-legged online favorites into just about any setting imaginable, in a matter of seconds.”
It adds: “AI mines vast repositories of existing artworks for data before replicating their substance and style.
“So, you could say it was era-defining artists like Klimt (a huge cat fan, by the way) and Schiele that made AI artworks possible in the first place.”
As above, AI systems such as DALL-E and Midjourney have come under fire of late. However, the tourist board is using the controversial technology to encourage guests to “see the art behind AI art”.
“With so much artificial intelligence invading lives – particularly with programs like DALL-E or Midjourney that allow anyone to create ‘works of art’ – Vienna wants to remind visitors of who made that all possible in the first place,” said the tourist board’s CEO, Norbert Kettner, in a press statement (via Artnet News).
“The Viennese Modernism movement that revolutionized the art world over a century ago continues to live on and affect today’s art through the algorithms that guide AI creations.”
Cats in AI artworks by Klimt and Schiele
Works to feature felines in the tourism campaign include ‘The Kiss’ by Gustav Klimt, ‘Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant’ by Egon Schiele, the ‘Otto Wagner Pavilion Karlsplatz’, and the ‘Hundertwasserhaus’ by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Alongside the AI artworks, the tourism board has shared a video with art historian Markus Hübl, who takes viewers through some of Vienna’s art institutions and introduces them to masterpieces by the likes of Schiele and Klimt.
Vienna is home to art museums including the Albertina, Leopold Museum, and Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Images: Belvedere / Vienna Tourist Board
