by Sofia Crespo,
with support from Meta Open Arts and Meta AI Artists in Residence
A project exploring the limits of available data as a means of engaging with critically endangered species. By only using open, publicly available data, representations are generated that reflect upon how little (or much) they are present in our everyday, digital lives.
Zygonychidium gracile (Streamertail)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Mahatha regina
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Crustacea
Poecilotheria Metallica (Peacock Tarantula)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Chelicerata
Gobio hettitorum (Taurus Gudgeon)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Anguilla anguilla (European Eel)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Anisoptera megistocarpa
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophytes
Class: Angiosperms
Parakaempferia synantha
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophytes
Class: Angiosperms
Linum cratericola (Floreana flax)
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophytes
Class: Angiosperms
Pelophylax cerigensis (Karpathos Frog)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Etheostoma lugoi (Tufa Darter)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Pangasianodon gigas (Mekong Giant Catfish)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Peromyscus bullatus (Perote Deer Mouse)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Lanius newtoni (Newton's Fiscal)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Sarothrura ayresi (White-Winged Flufftail)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Destuntzia rubra
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Coregonus bavaricus (Ammersee kilch)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Parakaempferia Synantha
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophytes
Class: Angiosperms
Aaadonta Angaurana
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Acanthobrama Centisquama (Long-spine Bream)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Acilacris Furcatus (Mt. Coke False Shieldback)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Alsophis Antiguae (Antiguan racer)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Amphisbaena Gonavensis (Gonave Worm Lizard)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Bridgeoporus Nobilissimus
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Caridina Woltereckae (Harlequin Shrimp Sulawesi)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Crustacea
Cotoneaster cambricus (Great Orme Berry)
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophytes
Class: Angiosperms
Cyclura Stejnegeri (Mona Rhinoceros Iguana)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Erikssonia Edgei (Waterberg Copper)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Fimbristylis Hirsutifolia
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophytes
Class: Angiosperms
Geocrinia Alba (White-bellied Frog)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Geospiza Heliobates (Mangrove Finch)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Meladema Imbricata
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Piliocolobus Pennantii (Pennant's Red Colobus)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Pseudonestor Xanthophrys (Maui Parrotbill)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
About the Project
“Critically Extant” is a project that explores just how little we know about the natural world by testing the limits of the data openly available to us in our digital lives.
To achieve this, AI algorithms were trained on millions of open source images of nature and some ten thousand species. The resulting models were then used to generate visual representations of species that are critically endangered, yet have little or no online presence specially on social media.
The goal of this was to not only trace the edges of our knowledge, but to also explore how we can create feedback loops in the digital that can be positive for the natural world.
The project was inaugurated as an Instagram exhibition, exploring how the pieces can become part of our daily digital intake of content as a means of creating awareness and potentially engagement on behalf of the species shared.
Naturally, as the data available to us represents but a partial fraction of the real number of species currently estimated as known to us, the pieces in this series show animated specimens that bear some, little, or even no resemblance to the species they are meant to depict.
This underlines the difficulties we face in shifting also our digital spaces towards more balanced representation, but it should be grounds for agency too: as we can all create and contribute both physically and digitally and as such can actively work to form new feedback loops that can help bring the critically endangered species into our daily lives in order to get to find ways to care for them?
This project was made as part of the 'Meta AI Artists in Residence' program.
FAQ
The inaugural exhibition of these works took place here on the Instagram.
We know of some 8.3 million species in the world. The largest openly available dataset represents only some 10.000 species, an eight of fraction of the known. Naturally, with such a “small” number of species, most critically endangered species aren’t present within the data and therefore what they look like is unknown.
The closest we can get is by finding the nearest relation on the phylogenetic tree within those 10.000 species and using that particular species as a starting point for generating.
Yes! Take a look at this reel:
There are many ways of approaching this, big and small!
You can explore the RED LIST and share online (or offline) about the species you find fascinating there.
You can support conservation efforts or volunteer with local initiatives.
Every little bit helps!
About Sofia
Sofia Crespo is an artist working with a huge interest in biology-inspired technologies. One of her main focuses is the way organic life uses artificial mechanisms to simulate itself and evolve, this implying the idea that technologies are a biased product of the organic life that created them and not a completely separated object.
Crespo looks at the similarities between techniques of AI image formation, and the way that humans express themselves creatively and cognitively recognize their world. Her work brings into question the potential of AI in artistic practice and its ability to reshape our understandings of creativity. On the side, she is also hugely concerned with the dynamic change in the role of the artists working with machine learning techniques.
She’s also the co-founder of Entangled Others Studio.
Credits
Feileacan McCormick (Technical Production Design)
Stefano Rosso (AI engineer)
Alan Ixba (Technical Assistant)
Alejandro Mune (Music artist)
Devi Parikh (Director FAIR)
Songwei Ge (Research Intern)
Larry Zitnick (Research Scientist)
Sasha Sheng (Software Engineer)
Vedanuj Goswami (Software Engineer)
Xinran Yuan (Curator)
Kristen Leung (Partnerships)
Anna Bruemmer (Communications)
Maggie Azary (Social Media)
Sun Helen Isdahl Kalvenes (Exhibition Designer)
Rafael Flores (Partnerships)
Nick White (Media Partnerships)
2022 Sofia Crespo