The debut of Refik Anadol Studio's Living Archive: Nature at the 54th annual World Economic Forum (January 15- 19, 2024) in Davos, Switzerland, represented a significant milestone in the intersection of artificial intelligence, environmental studies, and art. The installation transcended traditional boundaries of technology and creative expression, aiming to foster a deeper, more intuitive connection between humanity and the natural world.
Living Archive: Nature showcased early experimental outputs from the Large Nature Model (LNM), the world’s first open-source model dedicated to nature. The artwork was a multisensory experience that featured visuals, sound, and scent to encapsulate the essence of the world’s rainforests. The 12m x 4m media wall featuring the longest 3D generative AI outputs on nature to date represented a significant technical and artistic achievement.
The Large Nature Model diverges from existing AI models by focusing on the intelligence inherent in nature rather than human intellect. This novel approach seeks to bring together disparate archives of natural data into a coherent, interactive model that serves as a repository of knowledge but also as a powerful tool for environmental education and advocacy. The decision to base the model's development on open-source principles further underscores the project's commitment to accessibility and collective advancement in understanding and preserving our natural environment. The LNM enables the creation of hyper-realistic environmental experiences, processing extensive datasets from diverse ecosystems.
The development of the Large Nature Model, grounded in extensive interdisciplinary research and collaboration, highlights the project's ambitious scope. The involvement of venerable institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and London's Natural History Museum, alongside the exploration and data collection in 16 unique rainforest locations, exemplifies a comprehensive, global approach to understanding and representing the planet's ecosystems through advanced technologies.
Computing power for the Large Nature Model is driven by the Studio’s partners Google Cloud, pursuing net-zero emissions across its operations and value chain by 2030, and NVIDIA, whose groundbreaking neural network algorithms and advanced tools enable Refik Anadol Studio’s visual representations and next-generation computer graphics. By merging art, technology, and environmentalism, Refik Anadol Studio's Large Nature Model and its Living Archive: Nature installation at the World Economic Forum represent a forward-looking endeavor that showcases the transformative potential of generative AI and sets a new benchmark for how technology can be used to promote a deeper understanding of and engagement with our planet's ecosystems.