Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Analytical Experimentations with Midjourney Architectural Virtual Lab: Defining Some Major Current Limits in AI-generated Representations of Islamic Architectural Heritage

Ahmad Sukkar
* ORCID logo ,
Mohamed W. Fareed
ORCID logo ,
Moohammed Wasim Yahia
ORCID logo ,
Salem Buhashima Abdalla
ORCID logo ,
Iman Ibrahim
ORCID logo ,
Khaldoun Abdul Karim Senjab
Version 1 : Received: 30 November 2023 / Approved: 1 December 2023 / Online: 1 December 2023 (21:29:02 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Sukkar, A.W.; Fareed, M.W.; Yahia, M.W.; Abdalla, S.B.; Ibrahim, I.; Senjab, K.A.K. Analytical Evaluation of Midjourney Architectural Virtual Lab: Defining Major Current Limits in AI-Generated Representations of Islamic Architectural Heritage. Buildings 2024, 14, 786. Sukkar, A.W.; Fareed, M.W.; Yahia, M.W.; Abdalla, S.B.; Ibrahim, I.; Senjab, K.A.K. Analytical Evaluation of Midjourney Architectural Virtual Lab: Defining Major Current Limits in AI-Generated Representations of Islamic Architectural Heritage. Buildings 2024, 14, 786.

Abstract

In the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), generative systems, most notably Midjourney, have tremendous power to generate creative images of buildings and sites of Islamic architectural heritage through text-to-image generation based on the internet. The AI-generated representations have significant potential for architects, specialists, and common users. However, the system has considerable limitations when generating images for some buildings and sites where the representations appear too far from their original represented structures. This research article attempts to answer the question: What are the limitations of using the AI system of Midjourney in producing images similar to the original buildings and sites of the Islamic architectural heritage? The research employs prompt engineering techniques based on historical sources as inputs to examine the accuracy of the output of the AI-generated images of selected examples of structures of the Islamic tradition. It compares the output with the original look by employing direct observation and critical analysis of human intelligence (HI). It categorizes these limitations into four groups: (1) limits of the prompt, (2) limits of fame, (3) limits of regionality and historical styles, and (4) limits of architectural elements and details. It concludes that while Midjourney has great capability to represent high-end AI-generated images inspired by the Islamic tradition, it currently falls short of presenting the actual appearance of some of their original structures.

Keywords

Islamic architecture; architectural visualization; intangible heritage; text-to-image generation

Subject

Engineering, Architecture, Building and Construction

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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