It's a mind-bending new trend that's been making waves on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok and now even Scotland has been given the AI-generated art treatment. Some of Scotland's most famous locations have been put through the algorithm to see what happens and well, the results are pretty interesting to the say the least.
But how does it work? Artists will curate images of whatever the subject is and then feed the algorithm, and the AI then tries to generate new images in line with the aesthetics of real-life photos that it has learned.
Last year saw the launch of the world’s first ever UNESCO trail, bringing together some of Scotland’s most iconic, diverse, and culturally significant sites. Now, national tourism organisation VisitScotland has set out to discover what each of the 13 designations looks like according to AI.
VisitScotland’s Director of Marketing & Digital, Vicki Miller, said: “It’s been fascinating to see how AI art trend has represented some of our most iconic locations; of course, nothing compares to experiencing these unique places in reality.
"There is no other journey like Scotland’s UNESCO Trail. The trail inspires visitors to take a once-in-a-lifetime journey across the country, delving into its history and heritage, experiencing the wonder of its natural assets and the magic that inspires art, music and literature.”
The Forth Bridge
Although a slightly more abstract depiction of the iconic east-coast bridge, the AI still seems to recognise the velocity of the structure and the contrast of the red frame to its surrounding nature. A true feat of engineering, the Forth Bridge was awarded its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, 125 years after the bridge was completed in 1890.
It was the first major structure to be built from mild steel, and around 200 trains cross the bridge daily.
Glasgow
Glasgow was crowned as the world’s first UNESCO City of Music back in 2008, and anyone familiar with the city will know why. However, if gigging isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of other things to be enjoyed in the city. As you can see from the AI-generated image, Glasgow has plenty of green spaces to enjoy, and its name is translated from the Gaelic ‘Dear Green Place’.
Edinburgh
Undeniably Edinburgh! The city is infamous for the towering hill that towers over the heart of the Royal Mile: Arthur’s Seat. Below the hill, the AI has generated uncanny yet abstract images of the architecturally celebrated streets and cobbled grounds so familiar with residents.
North West Highlands
The North West Highlands was the first place in Scotland to be awarded the status of UNESCO Global Geopark. It features some of the oldest rocks in Europe, with some at around three billion years old! Interestingly, it’s also home to the earliest evidence of life to be found anywhere in Europe – but the geopark is not just about incredible science.
It’s also about beauty: white sandy beaches, rocky mountains, caves, grass and peatland, to name just a few. Then there’s the wildlife – both past and present. Something the AI seems to have encapsulated perfectly. What might just be an abstract array of boats at the first coastline at the bottom of the image indicated the variety of settlements still towered by the sublime landscapes surrounding them today.
Dundee
The “sunniest city” in Scotland might appear cloudy in the AI-generated image, but it has certainly picked up the old shipyards of Dundee with the adjacent hills of Fife and the River Tay flowing through the middle.
The city’s story is defined by innovation. Once renowned throughout the world for its shipbuilding (as seen in the AI-image) and textile industries, it has now transitioned into a hub of design: making moves in many fields, including medical research, fashion, tech and the gaming industry (let’s not forget the world-famous Grand Theft Auto hailed from here!). In 2014, Dundee was awarded the status of UNESCO City of Design – and remains the only UK city to have such a status to this day.
Neolithic Orkney
You might've heard about Stonehenge a million times, but you probably don't know much about this UNESCO World Heritage Site: Heart of Neolithic Orkney. These four key monuments near Stromness on the Orkney mainland are some of Western Europe's most important Neolithic sites.
While the AI seems to depict the Standing Stones of Stenness to be on the water, the water is just a stone's throw from the field where they stand.
Shetland
Shetland might be currently most famous for its namesake BBC show, but the islands of Shetland have been on an incredible geological journey: once travelling from near the South Pole, across the equator, to its current location at the crossroads of the North Atlantic and the North Sea – which the AI shows us crashing at the base of Shetland’s stone land.
Thanks to this abundance of stone, Shetland has some of the best-preserved archaeology in the world and was awarded the status of a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2001. The AI also seems to have picked up on the bothy-like cliff-side buildings synonymous with the island.
Please see here for download of all the AI generated images of the UNESCO trail.
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