From Mechanical Reproduction to Generative AI: A Critical Intervention into AI-Generated Images
From Mechanical Reproduction to Generative AI: A Critical Intervention into AI-Generated Images

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the intersection of critical theory and artificial intelligence, with a focus on the cultural implications of AI-generated images. Grounded in the foundational ideas of the Frankfurt School, specifically adapted to address contemporary technology, the analysis interrogates how generative AI technologies reproduce and reshape dominant ideologies through visual media. Engaging with concepts such as the culture industry, standardization, and reproduction, the paper argues for a renewed cultural critique of technology. Through a qualitative intervention analyzing images from major text-to-image platforms, the paper demonstrates how AI image generation contributes to an algorithmic standardization of culture that homogenizes visual output and reinforces existing social biases. Ultimately, the paper positions the Frankfurt School’s Critical Theory as a transferable and vital framework for understanding and contesting the socio-technical imaginaries embedded in contemporary algorithmic culture.

• Details
• Contents