Chapter 1: The Evolution of Photography

In the 21st century, I am delving into the nature of photography and whether it continues to reflect our identities as it has since its inception. However, the question itself may be misdirected. The essence of photography is not stagnant; technology continually redefines it. The claim that photography ended with the rise of digital formats was misguided. While the transition from analog to digital was indeed transformative, it represents merely another evolution in the long history of image creation, spanning from the Daguerreotype to 35mm film, DSLRs, and smartphones. What truly needs examination is the potential conclusion of the photograph as the ultimate medium of identity.

The interplay between photography, familial identity, and the processes of mourning crafts a narrative that imbues our life experiences with significance. Yet, the traditional photographic portrait no longer encapsulates who we are or our connections with others. My research aims to investigate the progression of photographic portraiture in contemporary society, focusing on the rise of innovative forms of identity creation within digital media. I will analyze the association between identity and portraiture, exploring how photography served as a means of communication with the deceased during the Victorian era compared to modern bereavement practices. By examining interactive representations of the departed within the grieving process, I intend to contextualize the advent of artificial intelligence within the lineage of portraiture, positing that the photographic portrait's supremacy over identity representation—lasting for over one hundred and fifty years—will soon be supplanted by an AI-driven multimedia autobiography.

Section 1.1: The Role of Family Archives

My fascination with personal family archives as autobiographical instruments drives this research. Coupled with digital innovations like artificial intelligence, these archives could construct a thorough self-portrait that signals the next consumer-oriented technological revolution. This shift marks the decline of photography's longstanding dominance as a referent for identity. The traditional photographic portrait will be succeeded by AI technologies capable of producing interactive, three-dimensional, machine-learning autobiographies that serve as our identity markers.

Subsection 1.1.1: Redefining Portraits in the Digital Age

In the digital era, I contend that a portrait transcends a mere single image captured by a device. A true portrait today is a dynamic, virtual, interactive, and multimedia 3-D projection. This autobiographical representation or life narrative would encapsulate information about our existence, forming a timeline of our cultural, social, and familial experiences—essentially a Holographic Autobiography App.

Chapter 2: The Intersection of AI and Portraiture

The video titled "Is digital immortality possible? | Peter Attia and Zak Kohane" discusses the intricate relationship between technology and our perceptions of identity and mortality, prompting deep reflections on the possibilities of living digitally beyond our physical forms.

Another insightful video, "The Impossibility of Digital Immortality (Comments on Martine Rothblatt and Nick Bostrom)," critiques the concept of digital immortality and its philosophical implications, adding layers to our understanding of identity in the age of AI.

Ginger Liu is the founder of Ginger Media & Entertainment and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in practice research focusing on photography, death, and artificial intelligence. She is also a podcast producer, journalist, author, artist, and filmmaker.