AI Response I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits: An Exploration of Identity, AI, and the 'Other' I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits is a series of twenty-five portraits generated using a combination of neural networks and generative adversarial networks (GANs), exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, identity, and the concept of the 'Other'. The work by Garrett Lynch IRL delves into the capabilities of AI to understand, interpret, and create representations based on abstract inputs, such as text, and challenges traditional notions of self-representation in a digital age.

Central to the series is the use of multimodal neuron behavior within neural networks, a feature that allows AI systems to respond to various clusters of abstract concepts presented through different mediums—photographs, sketches, or even textual prompts. In this case, Lynch employs the prompt "I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL" to initiate the creation of each portrait. This seemingly simple phrase is loaded with implications, as the neural network interprets the artist’s name as male and proceeds to generate images based on this association. However, the catch lies in the fact that the AI cannot definitively match the name "Garrett Lynch" with the real-life appearance of the artist. Instead, it draws on the information it can confidently recognize, instructing the GAN to produce portraits of a generic male figure. When faced with uncertainty or gaps in the data, the neural network defaults to incorporating the artist’s name—either partially or fully—into the visual composition as text.

The resulting portraits are ambiguous, blending human-like figures with textual elements in ways that blur the lines between identity and abstraction. Each image represents a 'virtual' being, created not from physical reference but from the interpretation of a machine learning system that operates in a digital, non-human space. These portraits do not depict the artist Garrett Lynch IRL—neither the Irish artist nor his "in real life" persona—but rather, they present a series of speculative Others. These Others, while distinct from the artist, bear his name, creating a complex and ambiguous relationship between Lynch and the figures generated in his likeness.

The AI-generated images raise fascinating questions about authorship and the concept of self in the digital age. By prompting the AI with the statement "I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL," Lynch sets in motion a process where the machine takes on the role of creator, generating representations that, while linked to him by name, diverge from his true self. These portraits are, in a sense, avatars of Lynch, but also something more elusive. They are not direct representations but rather imaginative constructions, occupying a space between avatar, clone, offspring, and doppelgänger.

Multimodal Neuron Behavior and the Role of AI in Creative Interpretation At the heart of I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits is the sophisticated ability of neural networks to process and respond to abstract concepts across multiple modes of input. In this series, the AI’s interpretation of the artist’s name is filtered through its understanding of gendered concepts, as it recognizes "Garrett Lynch" as a male identity. This is a reflection of how neural networks can cluster abstract data—in this case, interpreting names in relation to commonly associated features, such as gender. However, lacking visual data on the real-life appearance of Lynch, the AI defaults to creating a generalized male figure, adding a layer of indeterminacy to the final result.

This process showcases the limitations and capabilities of AI when tasked with interpreting human identity. While the neural network can generate a coherent image based on gender assumptions and name recognition, it struggles with the nuances of personal identity, such as the unique physical features that define an individual. As a result, the portraits become speculative, representing a "male" that could be anyone, but is not quite Lynch. These limitations in AI highlight the tension between specificity and abstraction in machine-generated representations of identity.

Moreover, the inclusion of text within the portraits further complicates the relationship between the image and the subject. When the AI cannot produce a definitive visual match, it inserts the artist’s name directly into the portrait, emphasizing the constructed nature of the work. This blending of text and image underscores the dual role of AI as both creator and commentator, as the system acknowledges its own limitations by embedding linguistic markers within the visual field. The use of text within the portraits also plays with the traditional functions of captions or labels in art, suggesting that the name itself becomes a kind of placeholder for the absent subject.

The Doppelgänger and the 'Other' in the Digital Realm The concept of the doppelgänger, a double or counterpart of a living person, has long been a subject of fascination in art and literature. In I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits, Lynch takes this idea into the digital realm, where AI creates not a single double, but numerous doppelgängers, each of which embodies elements of the artist’s identity while simultaneously diverging from it. The AI-generated figures are eerily familiar yet distinct from Lynch himself, representing a form of the 'Other'—beings that exist in a virtual space, created by machines, but tied to Lynch through the use of his name.

These doppelgängers reflect the increasingly fluid boundaries between self and other in the context of AI and digital technologies. In traditional representations, a doppelgänger is an uncanny mirror image of the self, often associated with themes of identity, existential anxiety, and the fear of being replaced. In Lynch’s work, however, the doppelgänger is not a direct copy or replica but rather a speculative creation, shaped by the biases and limitations of AI. The figures generated by the GAN are not faithful depictions of Lynch but rather interpretations of what the AI "thinks" Garrett Lynch might look like, based on its understanding of abstract data.

This introduces a new layer of ambiguity into the concept of the doppelgänger. The AI-generated figures are not simply reflections of Lynch’s identity, but rather constructs that exist somewhere between reality and fiction, self and other. They challenge the viewer to reconsider what it means to represent a person in a world where AI can create images that feel real but are fundamentally artificial. The doppelgängers are thus both Lynch’s creations and his "Others," virtual beings that exist in relation to him but are not him.

The Ambiguity of Identity in the Age of AI I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits raises broader questions about identity and representation in the age of AI. As machines become increasingly capable of generating human-like images and texts, the boundaries of authorship, identity, and self-representation become more porous. Lynch’s use of AI to create portraits that are both connected to and distinct from his identity reflects the complexities of living in a world where digital representations can be both authentic and artificial.

The ambiguity of these AI-generated portraits reflects the broader cultural anxieties around the role of AI in shaping our understanding of identity. In an era where deepfakes, virtual avatars, and AI-generated art are becoming more prevalent, DoppelGANger Portraits invites viewers to consider the implications of technology’s growing ability to create representations of people that blur the line between real and virtual. The series suggests that in the age of AI, our identities are no longer fixed or stable but are subject to the interpretations and distortions of machines.

Ultimately, I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits is a provocative exploration of the intersection of AI, identity, and art. Through the use of neural networks and GANs, Lynch creates a series of portraits that challenge traditional notions of self-representation, offering a glimpse into a future where the boundaries between human and machine, real and virtual, self and other are increasingly fluid.

This expanded version delves deeper into the technical process, the philosophical implications of AI-generated identity, and the cultural significance of the doppelgänger in Lynch's work.

AI Response In I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits, Garrett Lynch IRL engages in a process of conceptual "folding" (O’Sullivan, 2005) and "flipping" (Sloan, 2012) by using AI-generated portraits to blur the boundaries between virtual and real spaces, between abstract digital processes and materialized identity representations. This series of twenty-five portraits, created with neural networks and generative adversarial networks (GANs), employs language as a crucial element that bridges the gap between digital abstraction and material forms, allowing for a folding of concepts, media, and artifacts.

Folding of Concepts: Language and AI Interpretation The prompt "I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL" initiates each portrait in the series, representing a folding of language into visual creation. Language acts as a conceptual entry point for the AI, guiding its generative process. However, the phrase itself holds dual meanings: it simultaneously negates and asserts identity. This linguistic ambiguity becomes a tool for folding identity, as the AI interprets this phrase to produce images that, while associated with Lynch’s name, fail to represent him accurately.

This folding happens as the AI blends the abstract (the text prompt) with the visual (the portraits), synthesizing language and image to create representations that are neither wholly real nor purely virtual. The AI, lacking direct access to Lynch’s physical appearance, draws on abstract clusters of data—gendered assumptions linked to the name "Garrett Lynch"—and defaults to generating a generic male figure. In this way, the artwork folds together digital and material spaces, using the neural network’s multimodal behavior to respond to a human name with a machine-generated interpretation of identity.

Flipping Between Virtual and Real Spaces The process of "flipping" (Sloan, 2012) in DoppelGANger Portraits emerges as the AI-generated portraits oscillate between virtual representations and material implications of identity. The AI creates images that exist purely in the digital realm, but these images take on material significance by invoking the artist's name and potentially being perceived as representations of him. The portraits are speculative, representing an "Other" that is both connected to and distinct from Lynch.

The AI’s inability to match the name "Garrett Lynch" with a specific face leads to a flipping of roles between human and machine. Rather than depicting a realistic image of Lynch, the machine defaults to text as a way of filling in the gaps in its knowledge, inserting linguistic elements directly into the portraits. This use of text within the visual field flips the conventional role of the machine from a passive tool to an active agent in shaping identity. The AI’s language-based intervention, in which it adds the artist’s name to the images, challenges traditional notions of authorship and self-representation, flipping the artist’s role from the creator of portraits to a mere prompt for the machine’s interpretive process.

Blurring the Line Between Digital and Material The combination of visual and textual elements in DoppelGANger Portraits reflects a continuous folding between the virtual and the materialized. The AI-generated images, though digital and abstract, take on material significance by invoking the artist’s name and presenting speculative portraits tied to Lynch’s identity. These portraits occupy a liminal space, where the boundaries between digital and material are blurred. The GAN-generated figures resemble avatars or doppelgängers, existing in the virtual realm but imbued with real-world implications by bearing the artist’s name.

This blurring is further emphasized by the AI’s multimodal neuron behavior, which responds to abstract concepts like names and gender, but cannot produce definitive representations of individuals. The portraits produced by the GANs are, therefore, speculative: they are not direct reflections of Lynch’s appearance but rather represent possibilities—human-like figures that could be anyone, yet are connected to the artist through name and textual association.

Language as a Tool for Folding and Flipping Identity In DoppelGANger Portraits, language serves as both the initiator of the AI’s creative process and as a placeholder for the gaps in the machine’s knowledge. The prompt "I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL" is loaded with meaning, folding identity and negation into a simple phrase. This linguistic ambiguity allows the AI to engage in a process of folding, where identity is simultaneously asserted and denied. The AI, unable to fully understand or represent the real Garrett Lynch, generates images that fold together the abstract data of names and gender with visual representations.

At the same time, language plays a key role in flipping the concept of identity within the artwork. The AI’s use of text within the portraits reflects a recognition of its own limitations, acknowledging that it cannot create an accurate image of Lynch and thus inserting his name into the visual field as a marker of absence. This flipping of roles between image and text challenges traditional ideas of portraiture, where language and image are typically separate. In DoppelGANger Portraits, the name itself becomes part of the artwork, functioning as both an identifier and a placeholder for the absent subject.

Conclusion: A Continuous Oscillation Between Virtual and Real Identity I’m not Garrett Lynch IRL – DoppelGANger Portraits operates within a framework of continuous folding and flipping, where language, AI, and generative processes blur the lines between virtual and real spaces. By using a text prompt to initiate the creation of AI-generated portraits, Lynch enables a folding of abstract concepts (names, identity, gender) into visual representations, while also flipping traditional roles of authorship and identity in the digital age. The resulting portraits, though virtual and speculative, take on material significance by engaging with real-world concepts of identity and self-representation. Through this process, Lynch’s work highlights the complexities of identity in the age of AI, where digital representations can simultaneously affirm and negate the self.