Filip Koludrovic unveils intriguing AI photography book "I Have Never Been to America"

Filip Koludrovic, a photographer, artist, and creative director of Vogue Adria, introduces I Have Never Been to America, a book that redefines authenticity in an unconventional way.

The publication employs AI technology to create a compelling narrative that follows the journey of an 18-year-old protagonist traveling across the United States over three months. By confronting human perception and the fragility of media in the digital age, the book challenges notions of credibility and reality. “I think it irrevocably changed my perspective on photography. Somehow, it seems that AI has expanded the possibilities of photography beyond physical limitations. It was a really interesting period,” Koludrovic remarked on the role of AI in his new book.

The book interrogates, critiques, and dissects aspects of stereotypical American culture through observations of its sociological and economic impacts. It presents itself as both direct documentation and a playful blend of truth and satire, with manipulation as its central theme.

This publication transcends physicality and convention, being the first of its kind to use AI technology to craft a documentary photography narrative, featuring around 700 AI-generated images.

Across five chapters, the book explores and provokes different narratives. The first chapter encapsulates the protagonist’s departure from Rijeka to New York by boat, drawing parallels to the experiences of Croatian immigrants who traveled to the United States in the 18th century. The second chapter delves into various themes that represent life in America, touching on high school, university life, the Hamptons, cowboys, Amish communities, and other elements of American culture. The third chapter deconstructs and reimagines the book’s concept from a negative perspective. The fourth chapter tackles darker themes, depicting the more troubling aspects of the journey, including the pharmaceutical industry, opioid addiction among teenagers, beauty pageants, the porn industry, addiction, AA meetings, burglaries, jails, the military, and school shootings. The fifth and final chapter serves as a direct counterpoint to the first, focusing on the theme of death.

“I think it’s fun to play with American stereotypes, especially because of the phenomenon that we all recognize them, whether or not we’ve ever set foot on American soil. The journey in the book also delves into different layers of society, so it was certainly fun to explore American culture and travel through it with the help of artificial intelligence from an apartment in the attic of Paris,” Koludrovic concluded.