What Could Have Been: 26 AI Family Portraits Of Iconic Couples That We’re Never Going To See IRL
Not all of the what-ifs are unanswerable. Some just require a little bit of creativity and... artificial intelligence.
Australian AI artist and graphic designer Jeremy Pomeroy has been working on a series where he envisions what the children of some of the most beloved celebrities would look like.
Whether they're based on an unexpected pair of famous characters, like Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter movies, or a real-life ex-power couple, such as Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, I wonder if there's an alternative universe where these images could serve as family photos.
More info: jeremypomeroyart.com | Instagram
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Johnny Depp And Winona Ryder
Chandler And Monica (Friends)
Pomeroy, who is the founder and creative director of marketing agency Total Marketing Australia, dubbed his series 'Celebrity What If?'
He used a combination of AI image generators and Photoshop to create his work. According to the artist, the amount of time to complete each image varied, taking anywhere from several hours to multiple days.
Keanu Reeves And Sandra Bullock
This is so wrong. Keanu Reeves would put his arm around his son to make sure he feels included too
Paul Rudd And Lisa Kudrow (Friends)
Literally the only happy family in this entire depressing listicle.
Forrest Gump And Jenny (Forrest Gump)
"The AI image generators help create unique and imaginative images based on existing data and my guidance, and then I take those images into Photoshop to refine and enhance them," Pomeroy told Bored Panda.
"I believe in taking the time needed to ensure that each artwork meets my artistic vision and resonates with the viewers."
Bradley Cooper And Lady Gaga
Emma Watson And Tom Felton
Pharrell Williams And Rihanna
The idea for this series came to the artist from his desire to use technology in a creative and impactful way.
"I wanted to explore the intersection of popular culture, societal issues, and visual art. By imagining what the families of celebrity couples would look like if they had stayed together, I sought to engage viewers in thought-provoking narratives and spark conversations about relationships, identity, and the dynamics of fame," Pomeroy explained.
Kate Winslet And Leonardo Dicaprio
Glad this didn’t happen - no one looks particularly happy about the situation.
Kristen Stewart And Robert Pattinson
Vanessa Hudgens And Zac Efron
This AI family looks happy. The other families look like perfume ads in "Dystopian Town & Country."
Pomeroy said he picked the couples based on several factors. "I look for couples who have made a significant impact on popular culture, either through their real-life relationships or by starring together in memorable movies."
"The goal is to choose couples that are recognizable and have a cultural significance, as this allows viewers to easily connect with the artwork and engage with the underlying concepts," the artist explained.
Andrew Garfield And Emma Stone
Jennifer Aniston And Brad Pitt
Nicki Minaj And Drake
Derek Sheperd And Meredith Grey (Grey’s Anatomy)
So in addition to celebrities who publicly dated and split, Pomeroy featured some other famous pairs too. For example, people were convinced that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper were secretly in love while they worked on and promoted the 2018 movie 'A Star Is Born' and the rumor captivated their fans so much that for some time, it was one of the main things they were talking about.
Rachel Mcadams And Ryan Gosling
Eldest child tortures animals and will grow up to commit multiple murders.
Mila Kunis And Macauley Culkin
Kristen Stewart And Taylor Lautner
Scarlett Johansson And Chris Evans
Some of the AI-generated portraits are also stylized as if the subjects were posing for a painting in a bygone era, like the one of Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp's hypothetical family, done in a Victorian style.
Pomeroy made this creative choice to enhance the storytelling and evoke a sense of nostalgia, and explore not only historical contexts but also alternate realities.
Adam Sandler And Drew Barrymore
Michael Jackson And Lisa-Marie Presley
Selena Gomez And Justin Bieber
Jimmy Fallon And Nicole Kidman
"The feedback to my work has been overwhelmingly positive, and it's truly humbling to see how people have embraced and appreciated my artwork," Pomeroy said. "I've been thrilled by the conversations and discussions that my pieces have sparked. While not everyone may share the same opinion, I respect and value the diversity of perspectives. Negative feedback can be part of the artistic journey, and it challenges me to grow and learn. It's important to remain open to constructive criticism and use it to refine my craft further."
Even though the images have gone viral, Pomeroy said he hasn't seen any reactions from the celebrities featured, either publicly or privately. But he did add that the possibility of it happening sounds exciting.
Justin Timberlake And Britney Spears
Harry Styles And Taylor Swift
Joey And Janice (Friends)
Was gonna say, can we stop calling AI generated things "art"? and thus the meat clickers "artists"?!?
Load More Replies...Agreed - I know they are supposed to be fun but it just feels like a weird path technology is walking down.
Load More Replies...This is gross and this person is no artist. Seriously, of all the things to contribute to the world they focus on this?
Can we please stop with the AI posts? Some of these are just creepy and feature couples that truly did not care for one another. I really miss seeing more non-computer generated artwork made by artists who pour their passion into their creations. Also, this same exact thread was posted about a month ago...
Not to sound old and not down with the kids tm, but I hate that technology like this can now be used to put real people in imagined scenarios. I listened to a presentation about new risks in a digital age the other day, and have been thinking about the dangerous blackmail potential of deepfakes since. Using Ai to create falsified photorealistic images of real people feels wrong, not to mention how creepy it is to ‘ship’ real people like they’re fictional characters
I guess we can be comforted in the knowledge that AI still has a long way to go before total takeover.
Hey! Good point! It makes me feel a couple degrees better about having looked at this nightmare-inducing nonsense. Thanks, @Jo! 💋
Load More Replies...This is really messed up. There are people on this list with fertility issue and there's no need to slap them in the face like this. This article is vile, and the creator needs to have a good look at their moral value. Smh. What's wring with you two boredpanda staff?
I’m pretty sure not everyone is aware of the reproductive abilities of every famous person (and I say “good for us!” because that’s waaay too much info we don’t need to know) and you can’t really be slagging ‘em for not knowing the reproductive status of any given person, can you? This “art” is distasteful for many, MANY reasons, but it’s kind of a stretch not to like it because the “artist” doesn’t have some reproductive info on celebrities, don’tcha think?
Load More Replies...I'm feeling conflicted about this post. Imagine having your image used like this. To entertain the masses.
I was thinking the same thing. Hard to believe we found a way to give celebs even less privacy.
Load More Replies...I actually find this article a lot of fun. Just imagining what certain people's children could look like - as a human artist/ illustrator could do the same. Some results are actually pretty and stylisch. Others turned out quite creepy and some children's faces a sort of distortet. Nevertheless fun. And as long as noone is trying to pretend this images are "reality" everything is fine. There have been cases, where people uploaded songs by "famous artists" created by AI and the prentending it was the real thing... This would be just wrong.
I really enjoyed it, too. As a child of the '80s, I always imagined we'd have technology like this someday. I understand the ethical and philosophical dilemma it brings up, but that is part of human cultural development.
Load More Replies...I remember that Hidreley created this theme a few years ago. Today, unfortunately, it lost its charm because everyone is doing it. We want something new 👌
I don't get why every "family" portrait had to include kids. A family could have just as well been the couple and their dog or even just the couple themselves.
Did they get the AI from Job Lots’ clearance section? So cheaply done and in most cases, they don’t look genuine enough to pass. This could have been fun, but instead was just a creepfest .
This was terrifying and I wish I could go back 5 minutes to when such nightmares never existed.
Was gonna say, can we stop calling AI generated things "art"? and thus the meat clickers "artists"?!?
Load More Replies...Agreed - I know they are supposed to be fun but it just feels like a weird path technology is walking down.
Load More Replies...This is gross and this person is no artist. Seriously, of all the things to contribute to the world they focus on this?
Can we please stop with the AI posts? Some of these are just creepy and feature couples that truly did not care for one another. I really miss seeing more non-computer generated artwork made by artists who pour their passion into their creations. Also, this same exact thread was posted about a month ago...
Not to sound old and not down with the kids tm, but I hate that technology like this can now be used to put real people in imagined scenarios. I listened to a presentation about new risks in a digital age the other day, and have been thinking about the dangerous blackmail potential of deepfakes since. Using Ai to create falsified photorealistic images of real people feels wrong, not to mention how creepy it is to ‘ship’ real people like they’re fictional characters
I guess we can be comforted in the knowledge that AI still has a long way to go before total takeover.
Hey! Good point! It makes me feel a couple degrees better about having looked at this nightmare-inducing nonsense. Thanks, @Jo! 💋
Load More Replies...This is really messed up. There are people on this list with fertility issue and there's no need to slap them in the face like this. This article is vile, and the creator needs to have a good look at their moral value. Smh. What's wring with you two boredpanda staff?
I’m pretty sure not everyone is aware of the reproductive abilities of every famous person (and I say “good for us!” because that’s waaay too much info we don’t need to know) and you can’t really be slagging ‘em for not knowing the reproductive status of any given person, can you? This “art” is distasteful for many, MANY reasons, but it’s kind of a stretch not to like it because the “artist” doesn’t have some reproductive info on celebrities, don’tcha think?
Load More Replies...I'm feeling conflicted about this post. Imagine having your image used like this. To entertain the masses.
I was thinking the same thing. Hard to believe we found a way to give celebs even less privacy.
Load More Replies...I actually find this article a lot of fun. Just imagining what certain people's children could look like - as a human artist/ illustrator could do the same. Some results are actually pretty and stylisch. Others turned out quite creepy and some children's faces a sort of distortet. Nevertheless fun. And as long as noone is trying to pretend this images are "reality" everything is fine. There have been cases, where people uploaded songs by "famous artists" created by AI and the prentending it was the real thing... This would be just wrong.
I really enjoyed it, too. As a child of the '80s, I always imagined we'd have technology like this someday. I understand the ethical and philosophical dilemma it brings up, but that is part of human cultural development.
Load More Replies...I remember that Hidreley created this theme a few years ago. Today, unfortunately, it lost its charm because everyone is doing it. We want something new 👌
I don't get why every "family" portrait had to include kids. A family could have just as well been the couple and their dog or even just the couple themselves.
Did they get the AI from Job Lots’ clearance section? So cheaply done and in most cases, they don’t look genuine enough to pass. This could have been fun, but instead was just a creepfest .
This was terrifying and I wish I could go back 5 minutes to when such nightmares never existed.