In the words of the great Bob Ross (who filmed “The Joy of Painting” right here in Indiana), “We don’t make mistakes, just happy accidents,” — and that definitely applies to these AI-generated… masterpieces.
Meet Craiyon . Like Alexa or Siri but with a little less attitude, this artificial intelligence (AI) art project sketches 50,000+ images a day by taking users’ text input, scouring the internet for millions of related photos, while essentially teaching itself how to draw .
Here’s our take on how it did recreating some of Indy’s most iconic locations:
The Canal
Is it just us, or does each version get slightly greener? Little does AI know, but the canal doesn’t just celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a dye job , it’s also gotten a makeover for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week (orange), National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (teal), the Colts season kickoff (blue, of course) + Breast Cancer Awareness Month (pink), among other events.
The middle sculptures look vaguely seahorse-like.
Photos via Craiyon
Monument Circle
We might be picky, but it’s a little up-close + personal for our taste. There seems to be a focus more on the monument and less on the circle. We’re also surprised that at least one of these recreations didn’t include “the world’s largest Christmas tree,” seeing as the Circle of Lights is such a photo-worthy event. Plus, we were expecting a little cameo from Doja Cat, who performed at a free concert there last year .
Can you spot David Letterman in the crowd?
Photos via Craiyon
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The most accurate of the three, this series really shows off AI’s skills in perspective. Did you know that you can’t see the entire track from any point of the circuit? That’s due to its especially large oval shape. For comparison, the Texas Motor Speedway is also an oval, but because it’s significantly smaller, you actually can see the whole circuit from the grandstands.
It’s probably only a matter of time until androids start showing us around Indy, but until then, we’ll hold down the fort.