*CLASSIFIED* is a self-portrait series that investigated how the image–text model CLIP, developed by OpenAI, classified the artist Holly Herndon. Because CLIP already "knew" Herndon, the artist created a technique to visualize the model's conception of her identity. As image models advanced, she periodically tasked CLIP with producing new portraits of "Holly Herndon."
The works functioned as an ongoing dialogue between artist and artificial intelligence, allowing each to learn more about the other. For Herndon, the incorporation of neural networks into the studio offered exhilarating possibilities for identity play. From compact vocal models to expansive public architectures like CLIP, the capacity to generate and direct work in another's likeness had grown dramatically in recent years. Exploring how the network perceived her was, in the artist's words, "mind-blowing."
