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A Singaporean digital art creator recently decided to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to slap some visuals together -- coherently or incoherently is besides the question.
The result? A collection of AI-generated images of a coriander-eating competition in Singapore -- that is something out of a fever dream.
Perhaps due to the random choice of vegetables to eat in a competition and the resulting realism, the pictures posted to the Midjourney Official group on Apr. 20 by the Facebook user going by the Cygig moniker has since received over 4,400 likes and 2,900 comments.
But the amount of detail seemingly generated out of thin air is pretty astounding.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
The hairstyles and facial expressions of the "contestants" are realistic.
They might not immediately be recognisable as local, but there was enough variation to showcase the different ethnicities in Singapore.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Some of the people generated were clearly more enthusiastic about wolfing down the coriander than others, which corresponds to real life.
However, there were some peculiar details that hint that the images were generated using AI.
For instance, one woman was generated showing her sucking on her thumb (thumb-lickin' good), and a boy who has an armpit full of coriander.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Another odd detail is the archaic look of the buildings and streets, which is clearly a throwback to an earlier era of Singapore.
But this can be attributed to the algorithm that had learned what Singapore was and is via existing material sourced from the web but without being instructed to only cull data specifically to fit the modern era.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Meanwhile, in Coriander Town, there are some who are just caught up in the moment.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Or this woman, who is a whole mood.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
So, why do most of the people in the photos have to eat coriander like their lives depend on it?
Well, perhaps this is what they have to finish.
Image courtesy of Cygig on Facebook.
Online users respond
Would you want to be part of such a contest?
Well, for some commenters, it was a clear no-no.
Other commenters stated that coriander tastes like soap to them.
Scientists have identified that this is due to genetics, and around 20 per cent of the population experiences this.
A few commmenters, though, professed their love for coriander, in all its forms.
Top image via Cygig on Facebook.