AI-generated portraits question the influence of historic figures in an era of smartphones

would einstein have discovered relativity if he were doom scrolling?

Alex Wadelton’s AI-generated series poses a surreal visual narrative questioning whether history’s most influential figures would have altered the course of humanity if they had been tethered to smartphones. Created with DALL·E, What Could Have Been captures iconic personalities including Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Jesus, Marilyn Monroe, and others, all transfixed late at night by the glow of their smartphones. As Claude Monet doubts his artistic abilities while scrolling through an endless feed of filtered images, and Shakespeare takes his musings to twitter rather than the stage, the artist urges us think about how much of our lives are spent staring at a small black rectangle, and how our time could be better spent.

Albert Einstein Watching More Clips From The Big Bang Theory | all images by Alex Wadelton

alex wadelton questions our transfixion with smartphones

What Could Have Been prompts contemplation on the pervasive role smartphones play in our lives. Australian artist Alex Wadelton employs AI-created images to depict historical figures staring blankly at their screens, raising queries about the impact of constant screen engagement on our daily existence. Australians, on average, spend 5.5 hours a day on their phones, and globally, we dedicate nearly 4 hours each day to staring at these screens. Considering that a significant portion of our waking lives could be absorbed by these devices, Wadelton invites his audience to reflect on the potential alternative uses for this time. He questions: would the likes of Albert Einstein or Mother Teresa have achieved their remarkable feats if they, too, were captivated by the digital glow? Alternatively, he ponders, does unlimited access to all of the information of the internet actually power us forward?

Jesus Stayed Up Late Again Couldn’t Be Bothered Trying To Save Humanity From Itself In The Morning

Salvador Dali Lost So Much Time To His Phone, That It Was Surreal

Martin Luther King Jr Stayed Up Too Late To Have A Dream

Marilyn Monroe Looking For Inspiration For Her Only Fans Subscribers

Napoleon Bonaparte Gave Up On Conquering The World When He Saw What The World Looked Like

Frida Kahlo Began To Think About Plucking Her Eyebrows After Staring At Insta For Far Too Long

Claude Monet Got The Impression That The Filters On His Camera Phone Were Better Than What He Could Ever Do

‘2b Or Not 2b’, That Is The Question William Shakespeare Asked His Followers

Mother Theresa Just Could Not Stop Doom Scrolling

Pablo Picasso Couldn’t Escape The Lure Of Cute Cat Videos On Youtube

project info:

name: What Could Have Been
artist: Alex Wadelton

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom