A Battersea temporary exhibition opened on the 28 April to showcase artwork made by Artificial intelligence relating to the Palestinian and Israeli conflict.
The exhibition, located in the Battersea Park Gallery and Showroom, is an AI memorial to all the children killed on or after the 7 October in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.
The AI Mourns The Children exhibition aims to raise awareness about the tragic deaths of innocent children in the ongoing conflict in the region and to explore the intersection of art, technology, and empathy.
Aaron Ironmonger, a school science technician and curator of the exhibition, said: “I wanted to harness the capabilities of AI as the artist to create a platform for remembrance and reflection on the tragic loss of innocent lives, particularly children.
“The exhibition aims to provoke thought, evoke emotion, and stimulate dialogue around the human cost of war, using AI-generated images and texts as a means of honouring and preserving the memory of those who have been affected.”
The exhibition holds a total of 14,390 images, but only 4,278 images are on the walls of the four-room exhibition and a total of 10,112 images are in stacks.
Ironmonger believes that AI is the artist of the exhibition as he has used ChatGPT and Playground AI to create imaginative images, memorial quotations, and names of the children on both sides of the conflict.
He clarified that the disproportionate number of Palestinian children to Israeli children is not a deliberate attempt to be political but rather a reflection of the disproportionate impact of conflict on vulnerable populations.
Kendra Connolly, a UCL student who visited the exhibition, said: “Seeing the images was incredibly difficult. To think of the lives cut short and the futures that no longer exist is a knife straight through my heart.”
Connolly added, “We see the numbers of people killed all the time, but putting faces, even AI-generated faces, really brings it home. I appreciated that the images portray both Palestinian and Israeli children as they all deserve to be recognized.”
A recent survey published by the UK Office of National Statistics in April 2024 shows in the past twelve months that 11% of AI users use it for their hobbies while 17% use it for work and educational purposes.
Ironmonger added: “My aim is to demonstrate that AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for social good, capable of fostering empathy, understanding and connection across diverse communities.
“Through the exhibition, I seek to highlight the transformative impact of AI in facilitating meaningful dialogue and reflection on pressing global issues such as conflict and human rights.”
The exhibition is located at 200 Battersea Park Road, London SW11 4ND and is open till the 11th of May from 9am to 6pm every day.
All images credit to Aaron Ironmonger
