DATA SHEET
Title / Título:
Playful Sabotage / Sabotaje Travieso
Team members / Miembros del equipo:
César Rincón Nadal (ES) artist, electronic / artista, electrónico; Jesús Ibáñez Martínez (ES) artist, creative programmer / artista, programador creativo
Scientist / Científico:
David Orellana Martín (ES) computer engineer and professor / ingeniero informático y profesor
Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Seville / Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial de la Universidad de Sevilla
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Cristina Rubio Escudero (ES) computer engineer and professor / ingeniera informática y profesora
Department of Computer Languages and Systems, University of Seville / Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos de la Universidad de Sevilla
Seed / Semilla:
“Towards General Artificial Intelligence through Natural Intelligence” + “GANsensus” / “Hacia la inteligencia artificial general mediante la inteligencia natural” + “GANsensus”
Technique / Técnica:
Installation, picture frame, arcade buttons, electrónics, machine learning, scribble algorithm coding / Instalación, marco de fotos, botones de arcade, electrónica, aprendizaje automático, programación de algoritmos de garabatos
Dimensions / Dimensiones:
40 x 45 x 70 cm
SEED
General or strong artificial intelligence is capable of performing any cognitive task that a human being can perform, using skills exhibited in living beings considered intelligent, such as reasoning, learning, creativity, and adaptation to new contexts. While strong artificial intelligence is like a wise person walking down all paths, weak artificial intelligence is an expert in one particular path, knowing all its intricacies, but unable to even step onto other paths without stumbling.
THE VISION OF THE CREATORS OF THE WORK
As children, we begin to draw by making doodles—simple, clumsy shapes that help us coordinate our hands, express ideas, and explore the basics of visual language. It takes years of learning and practice to master drawing and painting. Our artistic expression is deeply shaped by that journey: by our hands, our perception, and the materials we have experimented with along the way.
Generative AI, however, has skipped this process entirely. It has jumped straight to the end. AI models learn by imitating vast numbers of human-made images, but they have never truly experienced the act of creating—never felt the trial and error, the discovery, the joy.
Here, we present Lili, a small digital agent with a rebellious spirit. Lili doesn’t agree with this shortcut. She sabotages every AI-generated image she finds by drawing funny, messy doodles over them in real time—just like a child with a marker. She shows no mercy for AI creations, but she respects images of real humans (like photographs).
Visitors are invited to interact with the work: look at each image and try to guess—was it made by a human or by a machine? Make your guess before Lili makes her mark.
This piece is a playful parody. It contrasts the hyper-realistic aesthetic of modern AI imagery with the spontaneous, chaotic freedom of children’s drawing. But it’s not just a critique—it’s a celebration. A tribute to the bold, joyful creativity of childhood. Lili reminds us of the value of playful expression, the kind of creativity that AI has yet to truly understand… though one day, it might try.
CURATOR'S VISION OF THE WORK
Esta obra presenta a Lili, una pequeña pero desafiante agente digital que cuestiona el auge de la inteligencia artificial generativa en la cultura visual. A diferencia de las herramientas de IA convencionales, que emulan la estética humana sin haber atravesado el recorrido corporal y evolutivo de crear arte, Lili se resiste. Sabotea activamente las imágenes generadas por IA superponiéndoles garabatos caóticos y humorísticos en tiempo real, marcas que evocan la expresión cruda y libre de un niño con un rotulador.
Lili traza una distinción clara: muestra irreverencia hacia las imágenes creadas por máquinas, pero respeta las fotografías y las obras hechas por seres humanos. Este comportamiento pone en evidencia una tensión crítica: la capacidad de la IA para simular creatividad sin poseer experiencia neuronal ni emocional alguna. Al interrumpir los acabados pulidos de la IA con gestos espontáneos e imperfectos, Lili reivindica el valor de la cognición encarnada, el juego y la autenticidad emocional.
Así, esta pieza se convierte en una parodia y una provocación a la vez: no solo cuestiona lo que la IA puede crear, sino también qué significa crear con una mente, un cuerpo y una historia.
Con la colaboración de la Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología – Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades @fecyt_ciencia
