Midjourney’s artificial intelligence (AI) network is one of the most popular among users. With just a series of instructions, the service models all kinds of images with enviable quality and speed.
Regarding this, Tendencias asked AI to show his vision of Chile in 2023 as if the Spanish had not arrived in the country 500 years earlier, first with the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, then with Diego de Almagro in 1536, and finally with the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia in 1541, which began the period of conquest.
This set of ultra-realistic images is the product of a consultation at Midjourney and in them, we can see details such as a new Chilean flag, features and clothing from other civilizations, and cities in the central valleys with other building styles.
“I am very surprised that some of the characters shown by the AI have European features, such as the woman with fair skin and colored eyes, because I understand that if the Spanish had not come, there would have been no misidentification,” he tells third Anthropologist Magdalena Rivera.
Consulting about the mid-journey images, she states that “to arrive at the symptoms that they have, perhaps ai assume that there was later colonization from another part of Europe.”
He then adds: “In the case of the men, many of the adornments and features are like those of the North American Indians, like the feathered headdress, they look like the Mohican and the Navajo.”
The anthropologist says, “I am amazed at the types of constructions that are so European”.
“The one with this canal suits me much better with the culture of the native peoples, which were generally organized around the course of the river. That more naturalistic aspect within the landscape, that the water was part of the city, that’s what happened, eg For, in Teotihuacan”.
“There may be some kind of Mongol colony here, their clothes are familiar to me. If this were the case, it would probably result in a rich diversity among the same American peoples that existed”, says the anthropologist.
“The cross caught my attention, it probably indicates that the spread of Christianity may have reached Chile through yet another conquest. I don’t know if that culture would have implemented it as a religion, but its effect must have been reached”, he added.
As Rivera explains: “I think there must have been a very relevant power struggle between the powers of the time on the continent. Between the Inca, Mayan, and Aztec empires, a dispute led to greater cultural richness in both language and cultural expression in general.” Although the Inca maintained a certain influence as they colonized the various cities, their style tended to preserve the local cultural richness and apply some of the common features of Inca culture: the greater richness of language, building styles, and clothing, and certainly there would have been a more harmonious coexistence with nature”.
Then he closes: “There is an enormous symbiosis between nature and culture and between nature and people, in the expressions of native peoples. I imagine that society would have been better organized around respecting nature and treating it as an essential part of life.
Midjourney is a free artificial intelligence available through Discord. Precisely through this chat application, you can indicate what you want to graph and the AI generates it in a matter of seconds.
Furthermore, we can ask the AI to apply certain graphic styles such as 4K resolution, pop art aesthetics, cyberpunk auras, or ultra-realistic designs.
