Nikon’s ‘Nautral Intelligence’ reminds us that the world is full of incredible places, often more spectacular than fiction.
Artificial Intelligence is one of the ‘hottest’ topics of the moment, without a shadow of a doubt.
Like any self-respecting historical revolution, there are certain fundamental traits of A.I. that make the topic still somewhat ambiguous, as in a ‘grey‘ zone that involves ethics and overwhelms morality, but always emerges unscathed, in the name of ‘modern times‘.
In 2022, a work of art made by an algorithm won the prestigious Art Prize; this year, a photo made by A.I., led by German photographer Boris Eldagsen, won one of the most prestigious photography competitions on the planet, the Sony World Photography Awards. At that point, the world of Art and Culture had to (again) confront the world’s oldest philosophical debate, on what can be considered Art and whether, by Art, one can mean something generated by a machine.
For more, read also: A.I. Art and Computational Creativity. What is happening to Art?
What is undisputed is that, on the one hand, Artificial Intelligence can, on the one hand, facilitate human endeavour and, on the other hand, replace it. Among those most affected are artists, illustrators and photographers, who are witnessing the replacement of their work of years, from prompts (commands) to A.I., which promptly generates images that are technically perfect, but empty of empathy and emotion. We add.
So came the ingenious stunt from the Peruvian agency ‘Grey’, which created an advertising campaign for Nikon Peru to incite potential customers not to be enthralled by the easy ‘flattery’ of A.I; but to imagine and take pictures with a real camera again.
The ‘Nautral Intelligence‘ campaign uses a series of real images taken in nature, striking in their similarity to the perfect, surreal images taken with A.I. prompts, but incredibly they are not. And the magic lies precisely in the fact that they are real and even better than artificial. In fact, the pictures are accompanied by ironic disclaimers mimicking the commands that might be needed to make such images with A.I.
The latest neurosis about artificial intelligence is making us lose sight of reality a little and in front of a spectacular image, we promptly ask ourselves whether it is art generated by A.I. The obsession with new technology is making us forget that the world is full of incredible, real, natural places that are often more spectacular than fiction.
Nikon’s ‘Nautral Intelligence’ campaign has brilliantly captured the debate on Artificial Intelligence and offered an inspiring perspective. While AI continues to provoke mixed feelings about its impact on human creativity, the campaign reminds us that the real and extraordinary images presented demonstrate that the authentic beauty and magic of nature can be uniquely captured with a real camera.
While AI can deliver impeccable technical results, it lacks the empathy and emotion that only the human eye can capture. The obsession with new technology should not make us forget to explore the real world and its unparalleled wonders.
The campaign has been a huge success, inspiring many people to pick up their Nikon and venture out into the world to discover new visual experiences. It is an invitation not to abandon the real world and embrace the infinite possibilities that nature offers us.
