COLLECTOR’S CHOICE - Learning Nature by David Young

“Learning Nature” (2018–2020) by David Young challenges common perceptions of AI by prioritizing aesthetics over efficiency and large-scale data processing. Using his own photographs of flowers as training data, Young observes AI’s behavior and how the system interprets visual elements. The resulting images reflect AI’s own way of interpreting natural forms.

Learning Nature (b63e,4400-19,4,10 ,12,44,30), 2019 by David Young

David Young is a New York-based artist and designer who works with technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. He has a background in computer science, visual studies, and design. Although he experimented with AI as early as the 1980s, he began working with it more seriously in 2016.

Portrait of David Young

He has always been interested in understanding AI—how it works and what it can be—while also addressing common misconceptions. To explore this, he created a course called Designing AI at Parsons School of Design in New York. In the course, he brought together students from different backgrounds who had no technical knowledge of AI to see if they could develop a more accessible way to discuss the subject. The course also influenced his own approach.

Learning Nature (z14,cr,A), 2018 by David Young

To make AI more approachable, he wanted to move away from the usual applications of this technology, which are often focused on optimization, efficiency, and large datasets. Instead, he considered focusing on beauty and aesthetics and starting the training on a smaller, more personal scale. This approach allowed him to study how AI works in a different way.

‘Learning Nature’ book by David Young

One of his early series, which led to his “Learning Nature” series, was called “Flowers”. These images were created using GANs trained on a small dataset of photographs he took of flowers at his farm in Bovina, Upstate New York. He deliberately chose this subject to differentiate his work from conventional AI applications and to reference the artistic history of the region, including the Hudson River School.

Flowers (b22,1582,2), 2018 by David Young

Later, he refined his method by photographing flowers against a neutral background so that the AI would focus on the subject rather than the entire scene. This process led to the “Learning Nature” series, created between 2018 and 2020 which allowed him to examined how AI learns and behaves.

Learning Nature (b63f,2600-19,4,9,1 0,27,44), 2019 by David Young

He noticed that its learning process sometimes resembled human creativity, particularly in how it repeated patterns and struggled with certain aspects. However, he also observed that the system lacked the ability to understand and complete fine details. The images it produced were not accurate but reflected AI’s own way of interpreting natural forms.

Learning Nature (b63e,4400,19,1,29 ,16, 54,11), 2019 by David Young

The creation of images that do not precisely reflect reality has a long history. Young’s series can be compared to 17th- and 18th-century Dutch flower paintings, where floral arrangements included species that would not have bloomed at the same time.

A Vase with Flowers, 1613 by Jacob Vosmaer, Source: metmuseum.org

Similarly, the AI-generated images in Learning Nature depict flowers that could not exist in nature, combining elements in ways that are visually convincing but not botanically possible.

The Learning Nature series can be found in many esteemed private collections, such as:

Jediwolf, Delronde, SeedPhrase, @NGMIoutalive and many more.