#110: Alternate Realities
Salves for the new year
With the exception of ample precipitation in my little corner of the world, 2026 seems to be off to a rather rough start. I’ve found myself drawn to the ability of AI to create alternate, utopian realities.1
If I’m honest with myself, though, all those utopian worlds are nothing new. I made the image below a few months ago, for instance.
And I created the butterfly on January 1st, when the new year still seemed fresh and hopeful.
Likewise, the image of the adorable baby dragon — which I would not mind having as a pet, as long as it didn’t get any bigger or any less cute — was one I made before the end of last year.
On the other hand, the yin-yang image below was a deliberate and conscious effort to bring a bit of equilibrium into my life.
And the pueblo in the canyon? I made that image just because.
It’s looking like 2026 might prove to be one of those truly wild rides — hang on!
AI is equally good at creating dystopian alternate realities. In fact, when I was new to AI image generation, it was used more often than not to create dystopian future worlds.