This New Yorker essay examines the poetic effects of mistakes in AI-generated art.
Hito Steyerl, Mean Images, NLR 140/141, March–June 2023
This essay by Hito Steyerl considers machine-generated images and statistical representations of photographic datasets.
About Hito Steyerl, Mean Images, NLR 140/141, March–June 2023
This essay by Hito Steyerl examines machine-learning-generated visuals as statistical renderings of large datasets. It argues they refer to probability rather than photographic fact, replacing likenesses with likelinesses centered on the average.
It uses examples including the author's photos in LAION-5B found through Have I Been Trained, a Stable Diffusion portrait generated from those data, and multi-faced Dreamfusion models to discuss averages, social patterns, and infrastructure.
Key features
- Describes ML visuals as statistical renderings based on probability
- Compares training photos with Stable Diffusion-generated portrait
- References Have I Been Trained tool for browsing LAION-5B
- Explains multiple meanings of the word mean
- Discusses Dreamfusion 3D models with multiple faces
- Links averaged images to social patterns and labour infrastructures
Best for: Readers interested in machine learning, photography, and statistical representation.
Good for
- Uses concrete example with author's photos and Stable Diffusion output
- Connects averages and probability to social context
- Introduces related cases such as Have I Been Trained and Dreamfusion
Hito Steyerl, Mean Images, NLR 140/141, March–June 2023 at a glance
- Category
- Search & Reference › Articles & Essays
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Hito Steyerl, Mean Images, NLR 140/141, March–June 2023 FAQ
What does "mean images" refer to?
Statistical renderings that converge around the average or median and replace likenesses with likelinesses.
How does the essay illustrate Stable Diffusion's transformation of photos?
It notes the author's photos appear in LAION-5B, browsable via Have I Been Trained, and compares them with Stable Diffusion's rendering of "an image of hito steyerl".
What is the Janus problem mentioned in the essay?
Dreamfusion-generated 3D models often had multiple faces pointing in different directions, possibly due to over-emphasis on faces in training data.
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