Aesthetics and neural network image representations

Abstract We analyze the spaces of images encoded by generative neural networks of the BigGAN architecture. We find that generic multiplicative perturbations of neural network parameters away from the photo-realistic point often lead to networks generating images which appear as “artistic renditions”...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Romuald A. Janik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2023-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38443-9
Description
Summary:Abstract We analyze the spaces of images encoded by generative neural networks of the BigGAN architecture. We find that generic multiplicative perturbations of neural network parameters away from the photo-realistic point often lead to networks generating images which appear as “artistic renditions” of the corresponding objects. This demonstrates an emergence of aesthetic properties directly from the structure of the photo-realistic visual environment as encoded in its neural network parametrization. Moreover, modifying a deep semantic part of the neural network leads to the appearance of symbolic visual representations. None of the considered networks had any access to images of human-made art.
ISSN:2045-2322