We are excited to share the fruits of our recent collaboration with Alex Wifi, a 3D artist based and période, a researcher and web developer.

Inspired by the ethos of Better Images of AI project, we wanted to create visual materials which go beyond the cliched representations of science and technology. Alex's playful animations (do hover over the image to put it in motion!) point to several critiques of hype identified in recent scholarship.

"Hype guru" speaks to the esoteric dimensions of the promises and expectations we hold about the future. Whether it's salvation of the chosen few, redemption of past sins or powers transcending the capabilities of mere mortals, hype stories often feature appeals to the supernatural. Hype gurus are rarely held accountable for their improbable declarations. After all, who cares to look backwards if all that matters is the future revolution?

"Hype machine" is a prototype of a seemingly impossible contraption - a device turning our collective excitement and fears into iridescent soap bubbles. As bubbles inevitably burst, so do our hopes and dreams. Though the above process escapes the remit of mechanical engineering, it often feels like the waves of emotions associated with hype are deliberately manufactured by powerful institutions.

"Hype frenzy" pokes fun at the quasi-scientific aesthetics, pervasive among consultants, stock traders and tech evangelists. With references to the infamous Gartner Hype Cycle and bitcoin stock charts, Alex offers a commentary on the societal desire to see trends and patterns in the otherwise random world.

"Forgotten hype" - Do you remember 'google lens' glasses that were supposed to revolutionise how we see, revealing an additional layer of information associated with every person, building or a tree we glance at? That inventions was quickly labelled as 'creepy' and subsequently withdrawn from the market. As the company pivoted into image recognition technologies built into its smartphones, they successfully managed to divert public attention to the more profitable aspects of the business. How to challenge history as something written by the winners and about the winners? What can we learn from the narratives of failed products and ideas?

"Shapeshifting hype" - Buzzwords are inherently difficult to capture, escaping precise definitions like a renegade rabbit leaping out of a magician's hat. So while policymakers and scientist are left to argue whether AI is "artificial" or "intelligent", shapeshifting hype allows quietly repackaging the buzzwords into various entities. Labeling a variety of models, chat bots, algorithms, statistical methods and apps as "AI" helps innovators marketing their products as groundbreaking, regardless of the novelty of the work done under the hood.

You can find the animations while browsing the website. On this note, have you seen our shiny new website? Made by période (or Pierre Depaz, one of the team members), our site will be a home to the upcoming conference in September as well as a repository of resources in the long run.

The project has been supported by the by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Innovation Launchpad Network+ Researcher in Residence scheme [grant numbers EP/W037009/1, EP/X528493/1], many thanks!