In this masterclass, we will collectively test the outputs of various generative visual AI models, experimenting with different prompt design strategies for the critical analysis of generative AI. These include reverse-engineered prompting for machine critique, provocative prompting for content moderation research, and ambiguous prompting for bias research.

The masterclass is based on the recently published Visual Methods for Digital Research book. This is the first textbook to bring the fields of visual methods and digital research together. Presenting visual methods for digital and participatory research, the book covers both the application of existing digital methods for image research and new visual methodologies developed specifically for digital research. It encompasses various approaches to studying digital images, including the distant reading of image collections, the close reading of visual vernaculars of social media platforms, and participatory research with visual materials.

The masterclass is followed by a public event dedicated to the launch of this book.

You can find more details on the book launch event here.

This event is organised by the King's College London Department of Digital Humanities, the Centre for Digital Culture and the Digital Futures Institute.

Speakers' Info:

Dr. Sabine Niederer is Professor of Visual Methodologies at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, head of ARIAS – platform for artistic research and co-coordinator of the Digital Methods Initiative at the University of Amsterdam. Together with Gabriele Colombo, she wrote Visual Methods for Digital Research (Polity, 2024). With Richard Rogers, she co-edited The Politics of Social Media Manipulation (Amsterdam University Press, 2020).

Gabriele Colombo is a researcher at the Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, and a member of DensityDesign Lab. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London. He is affiliated with the Visual Methodologies Collective at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. He is the co-author, with Sabine Niederer, of Visual Methods for Digital Research (Polity, 2024).