Paper short abstract:

AI technologies producing images based on text have become a significant cultural phenomenon. This paper will discuss trust in these automated images among Hindu devotees. We will delve into the changing roles and politics surrounding the use of automated images in a religious context.

Paper long abstract:

The recent emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of creating images based solely on written prompts has garnered widespread attention and sparked a heated debate about the potential benefits and risks of this automated form of image-making. These AIs have gained widespread popularity due to their ease of use and ability to seamlessly incorporate visual elements in a way that is aesthetically and culturally situated. However, their reception has also sparked a controversial discussion about the potential risks and benefits of this form of automated image-making, which is worth exploring from the perspectives of multimodal anthropology and visual culture studies.

To this end, we propose approaching the emergence of AI image-making technology through the concept of "visual trust". By examining how people reproduce, distribute, and create relationships of trust and meaning with these images in specific cultural contexts, we can gain a deeper understanding of the role and significance of images in contemporary society.

To promote a debate about the future and ethics of automated images, this talk presents the findings of an experimental case study on the use and reception of AI-generated images among Hindu devotees. Using the photo-elicitation method as a platform for discussion with participants, we aim to shed new light on how the evolving landscape of generative AIs might raise philosophical and ethical questions about the role of technology in religious visual expression and practice.