I was having a quick discussion recently on Linkedin alking about AI photography. It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps the term "photography" is somewhat antiquated for such avant-garde technology. After all, "photography" implies writing or recording with light (photons) —hardly a fitting description for the wonders of generative AI.
Tools like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion essentially materialize the intangible. Hence, the label "generative AI”. But it falls short somehow, lacking the coolness of a good old greek-based word.
I thus propose a new nomenclature: - **Nephelegraphy** .
This term draws inspiration from Nephele, the cloud goddess in Greek mythology. Nephele was a cloud, but Zeus decided to use it to generate an image of Hera in order to deceive Ixion. Interestingly, this ancient tale mirrors the essence of our modern tool: crafting vivid, lifelike images from the 'clouds' of digital noise.
Nephelegraphy aptly captures the fusion of art, technology, and mythological creation inherent in Generative AI, and it's not just about generating; it's about envisioning and bringing to life the ephemeral, from the nebulous to the definite.
I hold a faint hope that this post may serve as a historical marker. Should "nephelegraphy" gain traction, perhaps future generations will look back and, with a nod to this moment, maybe even grace me with a posthumous spot on the cover of TIME. 😂 😎
