April 25, 2024

I Asked an AI to Dream the Solar System as Food

How well does it work? If I need a photo of the Space Launch System, it requires to be the actual Space Launch System and not some kind of art deco variation of a rocket that looks like it was created in the 1950s.
Definitely not the Space Launch System. Credit: Midjourney AI
I was able to produce an image of a meteorite resting on the bottom of the ocean for a recent story, and Ive attempted a few more illustrations. It might work for stories with abstract principles where there isnt an existing image we might utilize.

As soon as I saw these new synthetic intelligence image development tools, like DALL-E, I desired to see how well they d work for producing area and astronomy images. Im still on the waiting list for DALL-E 2, so I dont have any feedback to provide there, but I signed up for Midjourney AI, experimented with the free account, and then signed up for a complete paid account, so I might check out its capabilities.

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Youll most likely see more images from the AI here on Universe Today, however I promise that well clearly divulge the source as an artists illustration by an AI in the image caption. I know theres a huge conversation to be had about artists illustrations versus real photos, versus illustrations, versus human-crafted art, versus expert system art.
In the meantime, I believe the best location to begin is with silliness.
Bon appetit.
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Okay, fine, but what about images that are unscientific? Images that are fun. Now were talking. Ive been using the AI to generate images for an Ars Magica game Im playing with my kid and his friends.
I asked the Midjourney AI to picture the Solar System however in the kind of food. In each case, I gave the AI the timely of the planet constructed of food. “the world Jupiter made out of a sandwich” or “the planet Neptune made out of a bowl of berries.” You can see the results below.
Mercury
Mercury, as a cookie. Credit: Midjourney AI
This was a tricky one, and it took a great deal of efforts to come up with foods that were circular and likewise might look a little like Mercury. I tried soups and pizzas, however this one finally got the blue metal sheen of Mercury as seen from MESSENGER.
Venus
Venus, as a bowl of soup. Credit: Midjourney AI
In our telescopes, Venus is a featureless yellow-colored ball, which sounded like some kind of butternut soup to me. I attempted a couple of variations, and nothing clicked, but I believe thats more about how boring Venus looks than the concepts that the AI came up with. I chose something with more remarkable swirls in the clouds, although its a little less scientifically precise.
Mars
Mars, as a cake. Credit: Midjourney AI
Bullseye. Its not a cake, and its not Mars. Its a cake that makes you believe of Mars. I liked this one and how yummy it looks.
Saturn
Saturn as a dish of spaghetti. Credit: Midjourney AI
Another excellent proving from the AI, in my opinion. Its plainly a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, but the noodles are arranged in a circular pattern that evokes the planet Saturn.
Neptune
Neptune, as a blueberry dessert. Credit: Midjourney AI
This one looks delicious. Blueberry ice cream with a blueberry garnish. I can just picture what it tastes like. The presentation is fantastic. I like how the AI signed the bottom left-hand corner. Some sort of clue to its inspiration?
This is just a portion of a much longer thread on Twitter where I was taking image requests. If youve got some ideas, just post a comment in the thread, and Ill see what the AI and I can work up.

Je viens présenter mes reasons à ceux que mon canular, qui navait rien doriginal, a pu choquer. Il voulait simplement inciter à la vigilance vis-à-vis des images qui semblent éloquentes par elles-mêmes. La blague dun scientifique https://t.co/wHiJWxscxq #Astronomie by means of @LePoint– Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) August 3, 2022

Ive been using the AI to produce images for an Ars Magica game Im playing with my son and his good friends.
I asked the Midjourney AI to imagine the Solar System but in the type of food. In each case, I provided the AI the timely of the world made out of food. I attempted a few variations, and absolutely nothing clicked, but I think thats more about how uninteresting Venus looks than the ideas that the AI came up with. I like how the AI signed the bottom left-hand corner.

A couple of individuals pointed me towards a particular hoaxed chorizo version of Alpha Centauri caught by James Webb, and I guarantee it was a total coincidence that Etienne and I both had astronomy food on the brain.