Historically, portrait photography has been a medium for capturing a person’s external likeness. Essence is a term that was borrowed from portrait painting. Essence adds an extra layer of meaning to the image, something internal. In the case of photography, the photographer aims to capture something intangible that reveals their unique personality and identity. The notion of essence then provides a philosophical framework for examining whether photorealistic generative artificial intelligence personas can possess human essence and offer something that captures the essence of the subject’s experience, emotions, and moral agency in the context of AI personas.
Ginger Liu is the founder of Ginger Media & Entertainment, a Ph.D. Researcher in artificial intelligence and visual arts media — specifically death tech, digital afterlife, AI death and grief practices, AI photography, entertainment, security, and policy, and an author, writer, artist photographer, and filmmaker. Listen to the Podcast — The Digital Afterlife of Grief.
Ginger Liu is a writer who covers the latest developments in artificial intelligence, entertainment, and art.
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