Nataliia Laba
@nataliialaba.com
asst.-prof. in digital & multimodal communication / humane AI @rug.nl | genAI at the intersections of critical data studies & discourse studies ✨| SECR of the #ICA Visual Comm Division | https://nataliialaba.com
I argue that there is a tripartite structure to these slop slogans:
1. Creativity is defined as a territory to be conquered.
2. AI is presented as a tool for this conquest.
3. Present-day concerns are dismissed as obstacles to an inevitable, AI-driven future.
2/2
1. Creativity is defined as a territory to be conquered.
2. AI is presented as a tool for this conquest.
3. Present-day concerns are dismissed as obstacles to an inevitable, AI-driven future.
2/2
January 8, 2026 at 12:02 PM
I argue that there is a tripartite structure to these slop slogans:
1. Creativity is defined as a territory to be conquered.
2. AI is presented as a tool for this conquest.
3. Present-day concerns are dismissed as obstacles to an inevitable, AI-driven future.
2/2
1. Creativity is defined as a territory to be conquered.
2. AI is presented as a tool for this conquest.
3. Present-day concerns are dismissed as obstacles to an inevitable, AI-driven future.
2/2
My piece “AI is not a tool” is out in AI & Society. The tool metaphor is all over AI industry rhetoric that markets visual #genAI as the solution to your creative needs doi.org/10.1007/s001... 1/2
Image credit: Beckett LeClair / betterimagesofai.org / CC BY 4.0
Image credit: Beckett LeClair / betterimagesofai.org / CC BY 4.0
January 8, 2026 at 12:02 PM
My piece “AI is not a tool” is out in AI & Society. The tool metaphor is all over AI industry rhetoric that markets visual #genAI as the solution to your creative needs doi.org/10.1007/s001... 1/2
Image credit: Beckett LeClair / betterimagesofai.org / CC BY 4.0
Image credit: Beckett LeClair / betterimagesofai.org / CC BY 4.0
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
#CfP! Special Visual Essays Issue on More-than-Human Perspectives in Visual Communication, guest edited by Juhri Salamet. Extended abstracts due 20 January 2026. More information: www.designresearchsociety.org/events/cfp-s...
CfP: Special Visual Essays Issue on More-than-Human Perspectives in Visual Communication
Extended abstracts due 20 January 2026.
www.designresearchsociety.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:54 AM
#CfP! Special Visual Essays Issue on More-than-Human Perspectives in Visual Communication, guest edited by Juhri Salamet. Extended abstracts due 20 January 2026. More information: www.designresearchsociety.org/events/cfp-s...
New in AI & Society: how visual generative artificial intelligence #genAI is viewed by those who adopt or resist this technology, and why. doi.org/10.1007/s001...
Whose imagination? Conflicting narratives and sociotechnical futures of visual generative AI - AI & SOCIETY
Conceptually informed by sociotechnical imaginaries, this article asks how visual generative artificial intelligence (genAI) is viewed by those who adopt or resist this technology, and why, drawing evidence from YouTube discussions. Firstly, visual genAI is framed as a natural progression of technologies that enhance creativity, increase productivity, and democratize art, echoing the prevailing narratives of Silicon Valley. Secondly, visual genAI is discussed in relation to critical concerns such as job displacement, no compensation for artists, and the rise of industrial art. Despite these divergent viewpoints, a collective effort to negotiate ethical AI adoption emphasizes accountability from AI companies, updates to existing regulatory frameworks, and alternative solutions to reclaim the human element in genAI cultures. The findings suggest that while visual genAI can indeed enhance creative practices, data value extraction must be repudiated to prevent market power concentration by those who frame this technology as a tool for the imagination while excluding the creators whose work these “tools” are built on. The article offers empirical insights into how different social groups advocate for or resist visual genAI, stimulating critical debate on its status and integration into cultural production and society at large.
doi.org
October 13, 2025 at 12:09 PM
New in AI & Society: how visual generative artificial intelligence #genAI is viewed by those who adopt or resist this technology, and why. doi.org/10.1007/s001...
How do we prevent AI companies from enabling uncredited mimicry of culture in AI-generated images? Some answers at
www.acume.org/r/beyond-mag.... Click ➕ for evidence and actionable steps.
Based on my 2024 study in New Media & Soc doi.org/10.1177/1461...
#criticalAI #generativeAI #noAIart
www.acume.org/r/beyond-mag.... Click ➕ for evidence and actionable steps.
Based on my 2024 study in New Media & Soc doi.org/10.1177/1461...
#criticalAI #generativeAI #noAIart
October 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM
How do we prevent AI companies from enabling uncredited mimicry of culture in AI-generated images? Some answers at
www.acume.org/r/beyond-mag.... Click ➕ for evidence and actionable steps.
Based on my 2024 study in New Media & Soc doi.org/10.1177/1461...
#criticalAI #generativeAI #noAIart
www.acume.org/r/beyond-mag.... Click ➕ for evidence and actionable steps.
Based on my 2024 study in New Media & Soc doi.org/10.1177/1461...
#criticalAI #generativeAI #noAIart
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
🔗 The open-access study can be read here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
🙏 Thanks to @nataliialaba.com for inspiring this study and to she and @neous.bsky.social for organising a panel on visual style that we presented at #ADDA5 and that helped sharpen my arguments in this paper.
🙏 Thanks to @nataliialaba.com for inspiring this study and to she and @neous.bsky.social for organising a panel on visual style that we presented at #ADDA5 and that helped sharpen my arguments in this paper.
Computer-mediated representations: a qualitative examination of algorithmic vision and visual style - TJ Thomson, 2025
To the general public, text-to-image generators, such as Midjourney and DALL-E, seem to work through magic and, indeed, their inner workings are often frustrati...
journals.sagepub.com
October 4, 2025 at 8:54 AM
🔗 The open-access study can be read here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
🙏 Thanks to @nataliialaba.com for inspiring this study and to she and @neous.bsky.social for organising a panel on visual style that we presented at #ADDA5 and that helped sharpen my arguments in this paper.
🙏 Thanks to @nataliialaba.com for inspiring this study and to she and @neous.bsky.social for organising a panel on visual style that we presented at #ADDA5 and that helped sharpen my arguments in this paper.
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
What a delight it was to work with @danielpfurtscheller.at, @klobinger.bsky.social, @nataliialaba.com, & @kathchr.bsky.social on this newly published study: Visual literacies in transition: multimodal co-production with generative AI.
🔗 You can read our open access study here: lnkd.in/gZwZr83g
🔗 You can read our open access study here: lnkd.in/gZwZr83g
October 2, 2025 at 1:37 AM
What a delight it was to work with @danielpfurtscheller.at, @klobinger.bsky.social, @nataliialaba.com, & @kathchr.bsky.social on this newly published study: Visual literacies in transition: multimodal co-production with generative AI.
🔗 You can read our open access study here: lnkd.in/gZwZr83g
🔗 You can read our open access study here: lnkd.in/gZwZr83g
Early career and international submissions Q&A for #ICA26
@icahdq.bsky.social
Join the upcoming Q&A Zoom Event organized by the ICA Visual Communication Studies Division (VCSD) to know more about our call for abstracts and papers in response to the theme "Communication and Inequalities in Context"
@icahdq.bsky.social
Join the upcoming Q&A Zoom Event organized by the ICA Visual Communication Studies Division (VCSD) to know more about our call for abstracts and papers in response to the theme "Communication and Inequalities in Context"
September 25, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Early career and international submissions Q&A for #ICA26
@icahdq.bsky.social
Join the upcoming Q&A Zoom Event organized by the ICA Visual Communication Studies Division (VCSD) to know more about our call for abstracts and papers in response to the theme "Communication and Inequalities in Context"
@icahdq.bsky.social
Join the upcoming Q&A Zoom Event organized by the ICA Visual Communication Studies Division (VCSD) to know more about our call for abstracts and papers in response to the theme "Communication and Inequalities in Context"
Thanks so much for reading and spreading the word.
September 24, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Thanks so much for reading and spreading the word.
New study in Memory, Mind & Media: "Memory of the multitude and representation in AI-generated #images of #war;
#AI and #Memory special collection. doi.org/10.1017/mem....
#criticalAI @universitypress.cambridge.org
#AI and #Memory special collection. doi.org/10.1017/mem....
#criticalAI @universitypress.cambridge.org
September 23, 2025 at 7:59 AM
New study in Memory, Mind & Media: "Memory of the multitude and representation in AI-generated #images of #war;
#AI and #Memory special collection. doi.org/10.1017/mem....
#criticalAI @universitypress.cambridge.org
#AI and #Memory special collection. doi.org/10.1017/mem....
#criticalAI @universitypress.cambridge.org
Our article in Memory, Mind & Media argues that that AI-generated images of the Russia-Ukraine war create an
unreliable ‘clean war’ narrative that systematically excludes human suffering and the
experiences of civilians, women, children, and the elderly.
unreliable ‘clean war’ narrative that systematically excludes human suffering and the
experiences of civilians, women, children, and the elderly.
September 23, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Our article in Memory, Mind & Media argues that that AI-generated images of the Russia-Ukraine war create an
unreliable ‘clean war’ narrative that systematically excludes human suffering and the
experiences of civilians, women, children, and the elderly.
unreliable ‘clean war’ narrative that systematically excludes human suffering and the
experiences of civilians, women, children, and the elderly.
Some of my thoughts on the politics of visual generative #AI documented in a beautiful graphic recording in the 2025 Digital Politics Summer School curated by the Digital Society research group at The Manchester Metropolitan University 😍 digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk/2025/09/03/v...
Visual AI Politics//Politics of Visual AI Graphic Recording - Digital Society Research Cluster
As part of the 2025 Digital Politics Summer School, we held a roundtable discussion exploring Visual AI Politics//Politics of Visual AI. In case you missed it, you can watch the […]
digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk
September 3, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Some of my thoughts on the politics of visual generative #AI documented in a beautiful graphic recording in the 2025 Digital Politics Summer School curated by the Digital Society research group at The Manchester Metropolitan University 😍 digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk/2025/09/03/v...
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
Preparations are in full swing and we look forward to welcoming everyone in Groningen soon for #12ICOM:
12th International Conference on Multimodality
29-31 October 2025, House of Connections, Groningen
bit.ly/12ICOM
Watch our website for the full program to be online soon!
12th International Conference on Multimodality
29-31 October 2025, House of Connections, Groningen
bit.ly/12ICOM
Watch our website for the full program to be online soon!
September 1, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Preparations are in full swing and we look forward to welcoming everyone in Groningen soon for #12ICOM:
12th International Conference on Multimodality
29-31 October 2025, House of Connections, Groningen
bit.ly/12ICOM
Watch our website for the full program to be online soon!
12th International Conference on Multimodality
29-31 October 2025, House of Connections, Groningen
bit.ly/12ICOM
Watch our website for the full program to be online soon!
I'm part of roundtable "𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬/𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜" on 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟳, 𝟵:𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟭:𝟯𝟬 𝗮𝐦 (𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞) – with Miriyam Aouragh, Roger Canals, Donatella Della Ratta, and Yoav Galai – hope to see you there! digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk/event/visual...
Visual AI politics/politics of visual AI: a roundtable - Digital Society Research Cluster
Location: online This roundtable brings together experts on digital media, visual cultures and politics, misinformation, political violence, and generative AI. Curated by Adi Kuntsman and Jessica Elia...
digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk
May 22, 2025 at 10:36 AM
I'm part of roundtable "𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬/𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜" on 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟳, 𝟵:𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟭:𝟯𝟬 𝗮𝐦 (𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞) – with Miriyam Aouragh, Roger Canals, Donatella Della Ratta, and Yoav Galai – hope to see you there! digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk/event/visual...
The program and (free) registration for online 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 "𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 / 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜", 𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟳 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, are available! digitalpoliticsmanmet.bloggi.co/visual-ai-po...
Visual AI politics/politics of visual AI: Digital Politics Summer School 2025
24-27 June, online
Our Digital Politics Summer School is celebrating its fifth anniversary! This year, the school is focusing on visual generative AI. Details of speakers, call for workshop participat...
digitalpoliticsmanmet.bloggi.co
May 22, 2025 at 10:35 AM
The program and (free) registration for online 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 "𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 / 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜", 𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟳 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, are available! digitalpoliticsmanmet.bloggi.co/visual-ai-po...
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
Nataliia Laba @nataliialaba.com on text-to-image generators, the resulting artefacts and our interpretation.
Her food for thought:
Can human qualities really be translated to AI?
We should continue addressing how people's experiences shape their expectations towards AI.
Her food for thought:
Can human qualities really be translated to AI?
We should continue addressing how people's experiences shape their expectations towards AI.
May 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Nataliia Laba @nataliialaba.com on text-to-image generators, the resulting artefacts and our interpretation.
Her food for thought:
Can human qualities really be translated to AI?
We should continue addressing how people's experiences shape their expectations towards AI.
Her food for thought:
Can human qualities really be translated to AI?
We should continue addressing how people's experiences shape their expectations towards AI.
To be considered, please send a 200 word description of your research and a short bio (no longer than 50 words) to [email protected] by 19th May 2025. Hope to see you there!
April 30, 2025 at 12:41 PM
To be considered, please send a 200 word description of your research and a short bio (no longer than 50 words) to [email protected] by 19th May 2025. Hope to see you there!
CfP Digital Politics Summer School at Manchester Metropolitan University, 23-27 June (online). This year, the school is focusing on visual generative AI, and invites applications for participation in a networking and co-production session. More info: digitalpoliticsmanmet.bloggi.co/visual-ai-po...
Visual AI politics/politics of visual AI: Digital Politics Summer School 2025
23-27 June, online
Our Digital Politics Summer School is celebrating its fifth anniversary! This year, the school is focusing on visual generative AI. Details of speakers, call for workshop participat...
digitalpoliticsmanmet.bloggi.co
April 30, 2025 at 12:41 PM
CfP Digital Politics Summer School at Manchester Metropolitan University, 23-27 June (online). This year, the school is focusing on visual generative AI, and invites applications for participation in a networking and co-production session. More info: digitalpoliticsmanmet.bloggi.co/visual-ai-po...
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
New OA book. Seeing Like a Platform: An Inquiry into the Condition of Digital Modernity by Petter Törnberg and Justus Uitermark. www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Seeing Like a Platform | An Inquiry into the Condition of Digital Mode
Power needs abstraction, to make the unwieldy complexity of the social world legible and manageable. The proposition at the heart of Seeing Like a Platform is
www.taylorfrancis.com
April 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
New OA book. Seeing Like a Platform: An Inquiry into the Condition of Digital Modernity by Petter Törnberg and Justus Uitermark. www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
Are you researching the role of AI for workers in the media, arts and culture sectors? Consider submitting an abstract to our special issue for AI & Society journal on the topic.
link.springer.com/collections/...
link.springer.com/collections/...
Cultural Workers and Generative AI
Since the unprecedented agreement that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) managed to negotiate in relation to the use of generative AI in the workplace in ...
link.springer.com
April 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Are you researching the role of AI for workers in the media, arts and culture sectors? Consider submitting an abstract to our special issue for AI & Society journal on the topic.
link.springer.com/collections/...
link.springer.com/collections/...
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
Visual Communication, a leading journal published by SAGE, is now on BlueSky 🎉
To celebrate, here’s a look at some of our most-read articles from the past 6 months. Give us a follow and join our BlueSky community to connect with readers and visual communication scholars ✨
To celebrate, here’s a look at some of our most-read articles from the past 6 months. Give us a follow and join our BlueSky community to connect with readers and visual communication scholars ✨
April 3, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Visual Communication, a leading journal published by SAGE, is now on BlueSky 🎉
To celebrate, here’s a look at some of our most-read articles from the past 6 months. Give us a follow and join our BlueSky community to connect with readers and visual communication scholars ✨
To celebrate, here’s a look at some of our most-read articles from the past 6 months. Give us a follow and join our BlueSky community to connect with readers and visual communication scholars ✨
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
NEW! MCCS are awarding a limited no of 100% fee waivers for 2025–26 for students who are the first in their family to attend university on these MAs:
• MA Cultural Studies
• MA Gender, Media and Culture
• MA Race, Media and Social Justice
Full details: www.gold.ac.uk/fees-funding...
• MA Cultural Studies
• MA Gender, Media and Culture
• MA Race, Media and Social Justice
Full details: www.gold.ac.uk/fees-funding...
April 1, 2025 at 8:48 AM
NEW! MCCS are awarding a limited no of 100% fee waivers for 2025–26 for students who are the first in their family to attend university on these MAs:
• MA Cultural Studies
• MA Gender, Media and Culture
• MA Race, Media and Social Justice
Full details: www.gold.ac.uk/fees-funding...
• MA Cultural Studies
• MA Gender, Media and Culture
• MA Race, Media and Social Justice
Full details: www.gold.ac.uk/fees-funding...
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
#12ICOM Update
🔴 You can now register for the conference and save your spot for the conference dinner.
🔴 A preliminary schedule is also available to plan your travel to and stay in Groningen: bit.ly/12ICOM
💥 I am so looking forward to this conference and everyone coming to Groningen! 💥
🔴 You can now register for the conference and save your spot for the conference dinner.
🔴 A preliminary schedule is also available to plan your travel to and stay in Groningen: bit.ly/12ICOM
💥 I am so looking forward to this conference and everyone coming to Groningen! 💥
12ICOM Groningen
12th International Conference on Multimodality in Groningen
bit.ly
April 1, 2025 at 8:26 AM
#12ICOM Update
🔴 You can now register for the conference and save your spot for the conference dinner.
🔴 A preliminary schedule is also available to plan your travel to and stay in Groningen: bit.ly/12ICOM
💥 I am so looking forward to this conference and everyone coming to Groningen! 💥
🔴 You can now register for the conference and save your spot for the conference dinner.
🔴 A preliminary schedule is also available to plan your travel to and stay in Groningen: bit.ly/12ICOM
💥 I am so looking forward to this conference and everyone coming to Groningen! 💥
Reposted by Nataliia Laba
Glad to occasionally write for that ‘not much of a magazine’, @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Putin’s War on Ukrainian Memory
As repositories of national culture and consciousness, the libraries and archives of Ukraine have become a target of Russian aggression.
www.theatlantic.com
March 25, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Glad to occasionally write for that ‘not much of a magazine’, @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...