I am filled with hope, dread and guilt about the human experimentation on our world and the accelerating pace of technological change that is our childrens’ inheritance. This recklessness now extends to AI, as we rush toward machine intelligence, ushering in new species, tools, and ways of thinking. It reminds me of flying over a vast city—marveling at what we have built while grappling with its bloody price: our past, present and future sacrifices. My work is about knowing and the awe and horror of that knowing. Experimance #2 is part of an ongoing series of experiments investigating my feelings about AI using the medium of generative AI tools. Made with AI text-to-image and text-to-audio tools, personal sound recordings and custom software to transition between images, it remixes and collides the things we need to live with those which we need to compute. This version highlights the despair of relentless repeated avoidable catastrophes; of waiting too long and not long enough. Like the lullabies I sing to my daughter before bed, this is a promise to her that I will make the world a better place.

2min looping video with audio, 1080x1080 pixels, 2 channel audio. Featuring Stable Diffusion, Stable Audio, Python and Rust custom software.

ABOUT THE ARTIST Ryan Kelln is a software artist based in Toronto, with more than two decades of experience spanning game and web development, interactive installations, and machine learning. A passionate advocate for open source and the Creative Commons, Kelln crafts art that celebrates themes of sharing, community, and creativity. His practice includes projects sustained through daily contributions for over 15 years, live performances with musicians and dancers, and installations featuring custom software and AI. Kelln critically addresses technology while envisioning and advocating for inclusive, emancipatory systems. Beyond his artistic work, curatorial efforts, and advocacy for art-making, his expertise in machine learning enables him to mentor emerging artists and educate the public through lectures and workshops.