Silicon-Based Imagination of The “Invisible Cities” - How Far Can Artificial Intelligence Hallucinate?

This study delves into the capabilities of silicon-based imagination - precisely, Stable Diffusion - to visualize the fantastical urban landscapes described in Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities.” While human imagination (carbon-based) conjures up fluid and ephemeral images, AI-generated (silicon-based) images are crisp and precise, yet both draw from a repository of previously encountered images. The research pushes Stable Diffusion to its limits within the ComfyUI interface to illustrate Calvino’s cities, which are unlike anything the AI has “seen” before. By employing the SDXL model, the study aims to harness variability to enrich the visual outcomes. The paper contrasts carbon and silicon imaginations through the lenses of AI philosophy, discussing the current limitations of AI imagination and contemplating its future potential.