Alma Impostora
An exploratory book that questions how artificial intelligence might impact intercultural understanding of indigeneity. Cross-disciplinary investigation on the impact of technology in promoting false narratives.
In English, Alma Impostora means “fake soul,” and to me, the phrase epitomizes what artificial intelligence can mean for human connection. This project explores biases in artificial intelligence and asks questions about what AI means for the future of intercultural understanding. This is a topic I have felt passionate for over the past year as I finished up my degree in intercultural studies and kept up to date with the latest in AI innovation.
Spring 2023 / Humanidades Ambientales
Artificial Intelligence, Midjourney, Chat GPT, Rytr AI, Graphic Design
Spanish, Cross-disciplinary Research
Initial Concept Exploration
This is an article I wrote in March that served as my introduction to this topic of research. Here I played around with the idea of AI generated art and its impact on global representation.
Inspiration and Research
I completed this project for my final deliverable in a Spanish class about sustainable human development in Latin America. As part of our class reading, I was introduced to the famous novela El Huesped (The Houseguest) by Amparo Davila, and later the experimental book La Compania (The Company) by Veronica Gerber Bicecci. In her book, Bicecci used the text from the novela to draw a comparison between a haunting unwanted houseguest and the exploitative mining industry in Mexico.
In my design classes, I spent the entire year researching the newest forms of artificial intelligence and discussing its impact on the design world. I became very curious about how AI might impact intercultural understanding, and I wanted to explore this idea further. I tried to understand a few fundamental questions:
What does AI understand about indigenous culture?
Can AI help or hinder our understanding of diversity?
Does AI have a soul?
Process
To begin my experimental book, I first needed a story. I was already familiar with Chat GPT and wanted to push myself to use a different AI to write the story. I chose to use Rytr AI because it could write in Spanish and it produced the best story for my purpose. After generating the original story, I input the text in Chat GPT to edit it. However, to my surprise, Chat gave me an entire second part that continued the story! Therefore, Part 1 is written by Rytr AI and Part 2 is by Chat GPT. All of the images used in the book were generated using Midjourney.
Final Deliverable
For those of you who cannot read in Spanish, this book tells the story of a boy named Miguel as he grows up in an indigenous community in the Amazon. He takes the lessons of his ancestors with him as he travels to Mexico to start a new life in the modern world. He soon becomes obsessed with technology along with the rest of the world, ultimately to his detriment. He survives a huge explosion in which the entire planet is destroyed.
In the second part, Miguel lands back in the Amazon forest along with fellow survivors. He suffered from the stress of the destruction all around him, but eventually starts to rebuild his home. He teaches others his ancestral knowledge and all together they form a new community. The new tribe successfully integrates traditional and technological lifestyles.