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“The Bigger Picture” is an Art-Science initiative designed to explore public perceptions and misconceptions about Artificial Intelligence (AI). With a series of workshops, critical analysis, artist submissions and two Science Week 2024 exhibitions, the project offers fresh perspectives and compelling visuals, inviting audiences to rethink AI. Not as a distant, sci-fi fantasy but as a meaningful part of contemporary life.

Through hands-on workshops, themes emerged that highlighted the presence of AI in all of our lives, the inherent human-ness of the technology and its complexity on different levels. Artists then responded to these themes in a call for submissions, bringing to life a diverse collection of images that reflect a more grounded and realistic view of AI today.

The Background

a Google image search for "artificial intelligence." The images shown represent various visualizations of artificial intelligence (AI), often depicting robots, neural networks, digital brains, and futuristic technology concepts. Some include graphics and charts explaining what AI is, alongside representations of data flows, digital environments, and advanced computing systems.

Type the words ‘Artificial Intelligence’ into an image search and chances are you pictures of glowing brains, humanoid robots, and digital binary numbers will turn up in the results. Images that look more at home in a sci-fi movie than in our day-to-day lives.

These images can be misleading, and don’t accurately reflect what AI technology really is, or how it affects our society and impacts all of us daily.

The Process

Through interactive workshops in Dublin and Cork in September, we explored questions like:

  • How would we like AI to be portrayed in images?
  • Do current images of AI portray specific aspects of the technology?
  • Do they enhance public understanding, and are they true to the realities of AI?

Using themes that emerged from the workshops. the submission of images either directly depicting or exploring the representation of AI beyond the classic tropes of ‘glowing brains’, ‘sentient robots’ and ‘dystopian futures’, under the umbrella of: 

AI is Everywhere

Theme 1: Everyday Uses of AI

  • AI is now almost seamlessly integrated into everyday tools and routines, from voice assistants and recommendation engines to navigation apps and wearable health trackers. This theme encourages us to recognise the subtle yet impactful ways AI supports and influences daily life.

Theme 2: AI is Human

  • AI systems reflect the decisions, values, and biases of their human creators. This theme explores AI as a human-driven technology, influenced by our choices, data, and ethical considerations. It challenges the view of AI as a neutral, autonomous entity.

Theme 3: AI is Complex

  • AI operates on vast datasets and complex algorithms, which often mask the nuances and unpredictability involved in its function. This theme seeks to demystify AI’s complexities, highlighting the challenges of transparency, ethics, and accountability.

Check out a zine by Nic Flanagan that outlines “The Bigger Picture” process:

Artists Respond

The Gallery of Selected Images showcases the final artworks chosen for The Bigger Picture exhibition, each piece capturing a unique perspective on the theme “AI is Everywhere.”

Click for full image and artist’s description of the work.

  • The painting shows a person standing on a staircase made of green and pink cubes, symbolising a Penrose staircase, in a cosmic environment. The person is reaching towards a glowing cross-shaped structure emitting binary code, representing AI's reach into the future. Surrounding the figure are outlined boxes showing various elements, such as glasses, medical tools, a self-driving car, and financial symbols, interconnected by white lines. The background is dark with star-like dots and features colour-coded boxes which mark different elements as relating to AI, human involvement, or unknown future developments in the various fields.
  • digital collage featuring a blue-toned hand reaching out, surrounded by overlapping elements, including lavender-colored leaves, a large blue flower, and urban architecture in the background. The image has an abstract, layered composition, combining organic shapes with geometric patterns. The background is a gradient of dark blue with a subtle dotted texture, and at the bottom, a blue face pattern fades into the background, adding a ghostly effect to the artwork
  • the surface, each containing different abstract images with a green and purple tint. On the far left, a human figure walks, their reflection visible beneath them as pixelated fragments of their form break away into the surrounding space. To the right, a cityscape emerges, built from these pixelated fragments, representing how human data contributes to the creation of our interconnected world. On the periphery, in the bottom left and upper right corners, fractured surveillance cameras peer out, symbolizing hidden surveillance systems. These fractured elements reflect the limitations of human understanding and control over the AI-powered surveillance systems that monitor our personal data and the creation of our
  • A human face depicted within fragments of the primary color blue, alongside a Windows 365 error pop-up with the question
  • A split image showing two cityscapes dominated by giant black-and-white QR code-like patterns. On the left, tall buildings and the street are completely covered in these codes, blending into the urban environment. On the right, pedestrians walk along a street lined with high-rise buildings that merge with the digital codes. The figures are glitchy, appearing almost AI-generated, blurring the line between real and digitally fabricated. The skyline fades into a dense network of codes. The artwork uses a stark black-andwhite aesthetic.
  • An abstract cityscape with vibrant red, green, yellow, and grey buildings with a brick-like texture. White lines resembling digital circuits flow through the cityscape, some continuous and others fractured, symbolizing the invisible data networks and algorithmic systems that power modern society. The lines’ origins and destinations are unclear, reflecting the lack of transparency in how AI operates beneath the surface of daily life. This refers to the ubiquity and complexity of AI, built and deployed by humans but often difficult to understand.
  • Two wooden sculptures on pedestals. The sculpture on the left is made of light-colored, weathered wood with visible nail holes, window-like openings, and a small painting of clouds framed on the front. The sculpture has a rustic, worn appearance. The sculpture on the right is taller and painted in solid black, with a textured surface that resembles darkened, charred wood. Both sculptures are rectangular with elongated legs, giving them a tower-like structure. The left sculpture stands on a white pedestal, and the right sculpture is on a black pedestal.

In order of how they appear: Yutong Liu – Infinite Possibilities; Rebecca Carmody – Artificial Vision; Elise Racine – Digital Others; Rebecca Carmody – Am I Human?; Elise Racine – Binary Abyss / Glitch; Elise Racine – Web of Influence: AI is Everywhere; Daithi Magner – Dual Realities

Exhibitions in Cork and Dublin

'The Bigger Picture' exhibition titled 'AI is Everywhere,' part of Science Week 2024. This exhibition reimagines images of artificial intelligence (AI) based on co-creation workshops. Description: The flyer invites attendees to explore The Bigger Picture exhibition, which showcases collaborative artwork that challenges traditional perceptions of AI. Text overlays include, 'Come inside to see and learn more about The Bigger Picture co-creation workshops and exhibitions' and 'For more about The Bigger Picture programme, scan the QR code below.' Event Locations: Exhibitions are running at MTU (46 Grand Parade, Cork) and The Digital Hub (Thomas Street, Dublin 8) until November 17th. Logos: Includes logos for #DiscussAI, Science Week, Beta Festival, ADAPT, MTU, DCU, TU Dublin, We and AI, and The Digital Hub."

The artist responses will be exhibited in Cork and Dublin as part of the Science Week programme in November 2024.

The exhibition provides a more grounded, realistic portrayal of AI. The collection of freshly commissioned images will move beyond the realm of sci-fi, to explore AI’s actual presence in everyday life and focuses on the potential of this technology, while also exploring the ethical challenges, and societal implications.

Through fresh perspectives and thought-provoking visuals, The Bigger Picture aims to transform how we perceive and understand Artificial Intelligence. Not as a distant, futuristic concept, but as an integral part of the world we live in today.

Exhibitions run at

MTU Gallery, 46 Grand Parade, Cork 11 – 17 November 2024

Beta Festival, The Digital Hub, Thomas Street, Dublin 8 1 – 17 November 2024

Better Images of AI

In addition to being selected for The Bigger Picture exhibition, there was a further opportunity for submitted images to be published under Creative Commons 4.0 licence in the Better Images of AI library. The Gallery below contains the images chosen for inclusion in The Better Images of AI Library.

Click for full image and artist’s description of the work from https://betterimagesofai.org/images

  • The image is a very detailed, black-and-white sketch-like illustration featuring a complex scene of interconnected figures and technology. The artwork portrays various individuals in different environments to represent the relationship between technology and humans. In the foreground, multiple people are surrounded by computer screens filled with data visualisations, charts, and technical information. A woman seated in an armchair appears deep in thought, surrounded by data-filled monitors. Beside her, a man leans over, using a tablet to assist with their inspection of a plant or tree. In the centre, a figure holds a large frame or screen displaying anatomical illustrations, representing the use of AI to analyse medical imagery. To the left, another person is intently observing a computer screen, while a second figure nearby is deeply immersed in analysing data. A woman dominates the right side of the composition, gazing upwards as if in contemplation or envisioning something beyond the immediate scene. The background features more people, including a family holding hands, and other abstract representations of data.
  • An illustration showing a hand holding a smartphone with its camera app open, capturing an image of a cartoon purple cat. The camera screen displays the cat framed with a square outline, and several facial features—such as the eyes, ears, and nose—are highlighted with smaller boxes and connected by thin lines, illustrating an AI recognition process. The cat is slightly blurred in the background outside the phone screen, emphasising the focus on the camera's view.
  • Two men are seated in the front seats of a car and the image is from the perspective as looking over the shoulders of the two individuals. The driver, on the right, holds a smartphone showing Google Maps with a route from Galway to Clifden, displaying the travel time and directions. The passenger, on the left, wears glasses and a dark green hoodie and holds a large, spiral-bound road atlas open to a page showing the west coast of Ireland. The car’s dashboard and controls are visible between them.
  • This image uses minimalist line art and adopts a monochromatic colour palette with soft green accents. The composition is built upon a spherical grid system that mirrors Earth's curvature, creating a dynamic digital backdrop and an immersive sense of depth. The image is split into various quadrants which each represent different themes: 'for better', 'for worse', 'all the time', 'far' and 'near'. In the top left is 'for better', it illustrates hands piecing together cloud-shaped puzzle pieces which have different images within them, including: a heart, a light bulb, a lock, and data symbols. In the top right, 'far' includes elements like satellites and lab equipment. In the middle of the image, 'for worse' illustrates a person holding a smartphone showing face recognition option with 'YES' or 'NO'. In the bottom left, 'all the time' shows a person under surveillance by a camera and being monitored by a digital device. Finally, in the bottom right, 'near' shows a car surrounded by wireless signals and a digital assistant.
  • The painting shows a person standing on a staircase made of green and pink cubes, symbolising a Penrose staircase, in a cosmic environment. The person is reaching towards a glowing cross-shaped structure emitting binary code, representing AI's reach into the future. Surrounding the figure are outlined boxes showing various elements, such as glasses, medical tools, a self-driving car, and financial symbols, interconnected by white lines. The background is dark with star-like dots and features colour-coded boxes which mark different elements as relating to AI, human involvement, or unknown future developments in the various fields.
  • This image shows the corner of a room, with wooden floor with two walls - one is smaller than the other. On the left smaller wall, glowing app icons, with logos including Netflix, Spotify, OpenAI, and Alexa are arranged in a grid. Multiple sets of dark footprints converge toward these icons on the floor. The room’s right side features wooden shelves with various items: stacks of books, a vintage red rotary phone, vinyl records, and framed artwork. These objects are slightly shadowed and appear darker, but occupy the larger wall. On the floor’s bottom left corner, a few footprints veer off in the opposite direction to the other footsteps which were facing the glowing apps.

Upcoming Events

The promotional graphic is for an event titled "The Bigger Picture: Re-imagining Images of AI & Why What We See Matters". It will be held on 14 November 2024 from 18:00 to 19:15 at The Digital Hub, Thomas Street, with refreshments available from 17:30. The event explores the representation of artificial intelligence in media and culture and its significance. The background illustration, credited to Yutong Liu & The Bigger Picture / Better Images of AI / Infinite Possibilities, is licensed under CC-BY 4.0. The event is part of Science Week and includes logos for ADAPT, Discuss AI, Better Images of AI, and Beta Festival.

14 November 2024 at 18.00

Get a behind-the-scenes look into the journey of The Bigger Picture project. Join us for a conversation that explores the project execution and insights gained along the way. The conversation will range from AI imagery and the arts to the diverse perspectives that have shaped this reimagined view of artificial intelligence.

Register: https://bit.ly/BiggerPic_1411

The Team

The image shows five women standing together in front of a screen displaying the logo for "The Bigger Picture." The group appears to be part of an event or presentation, possibly related to discussions on AI or technology. All five women are smiling, and the setting is a well-lit room with large windows in the background. One of the women is wearing a bright orange top, while the others are dressed in black and dark clothing. The screen behind them includes colorful geometric shapes around the logo, giving a modern and creative feel to the event. From the left: Emma Clarke, Tania Duarte, Faye Murphy, Helen Sheridan, Nic Flanagan

The Bigger Picture project is Emma Clarke, Nic Flanagan, Faye Murphy, Tania Duarte and Helen Sheridan, with selected artists. 

The project team behind The Bigger Picture is a diverse group of artists, designers and researchers with a shared passion for reshaping the visual narrative of Artificial Intelligence. Drawing from expertise in digital art, AI development, and social sciences, the team has collaborated to not only challenge conventional AI imagery, but also foster a deeper understanding of its real-world impact.

With backgrounds spanning creative industries, academic research and public engagement, the team is committed to bridging the gap between technology and society, encouraging dialogue and inspiring new ways of thinking about AI through art.

The Bigger Picture was funded through the Science Week 2024 call. 

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