/ But not zero /
The Infinite Monkey Theorem suggests that, given enough (very loooooong) time, a monkey randomly striking a keyboard could eventually reproduce the complete works of Shakespeare. Infinite permutations would not only allow for the emergence of Shakespeare but also Goethe, Borges, Murakami, and even the Daily Mail. While humanity has evolved far beyond those hypothetical keystrokes, the theorem remains a metaphor for probability—no matter how small, if something isn’t zero, it is possible.
This idea also applies to Machine Learning, particularly Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), where computational power translates verbal prompts into images. Yet, the chair imagined is never quite the chair that appears on screen, and we are often willing to settle for that gap.
This series explores those themes—like a monkey at a keyboard, I input data into MidJourney, seeking an image that reflects something in my head: my actual head. In this case, the input is personal: my ethnic breakdown, sourced from a struggling DNA analysis company. My goal? To generate an image of myself—one that my mother would recognize and approve of.
Despite the playful undertones, the project speaks to the voracity of the AI industry and the rapid evolution of its capabilities—or perhaps our increasing willingness to compromise. It also highlights computational bias and the very human trait of aspiring to things that aren’t.
The project’s daily updates can be found on Instagram.
The recipe. Yum!
A studio medium shot of a 46 year old man of the following ethnic composition:
Spanish & Portuguese (Guarda and Viseu regions) 19.9%, Italian (Molise region) 9.3%, Broadly Southern European 11.9%, French & German 31.4%, Broadly Northwestern, European 1.2%, Eastern European 10.2%, Ashkenazi Jewish 2.1%, Broadly European 4.8%, Southern East African 4.1%, Angolan & Congolese 0.2%, Broadly Congolese & Southern, East African 0.2%, West African 1.2%, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean 0.8%, Senegambian & Guinean 0.4%, Broadly Sub-Saharan African 0.3%, Indigenous American 2.6%, Japanese 0.2%
The room neutral and lit with natural light –ar 9:16
Year: 2024 - ongoing (102 days and counting as of April 2025)