I am ambivalent about using artificial intelligence to restore photographs. Or, more specifically, I’m concerned about manipulated photographs supplanting original images and further blurring the line between reality and misinformation. However, the allure of AI-enhanced images is strong, as I often contend with blurry, poorly lit photographs in unnatural sepia or black-and-white tones. Photographs whose condition sometimes exacerbates the distance between us and our ancestors.
I have been experimenting with ChatGPT lately, feeding it queries and images to be restored and colorized. The results are somewhat haphazard, with many images weird and off-putting. Other times, the images are breathtakingly sharp and … alive. Black Wide-Awake exists to resurrect forgotten lives, and I believe these images are valuable to help us connect with the men and women we read about in these posts. From time to time, I’ll share the better ones here, clearly marked as AI-generated. Let me know what you think about them.
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Biscoe Hagans (1866-1943), farmer.
Very cool to see my family reimagined this way!
Oh wow! It really enhanced Brisco’s photo. I have discovered that Brisco was my 3rd great grandparents’ (Richard Hagans and Alice Ann “Alley Faithful Hagans son. Thank you!
I loved this nuanced expression and cost vs. benefit analysis of the utilization of A.I. on family photos. Your thoughts have made A.I. at least an option worthy to be considered for reimagining our ancestors anew.
Thank you, Derrick!