If They Had Survived, What Would Their Faces Look Like Now?
A Photographer Has Used Artificial Intelligence To Show What Famous People Like Princess Diana, Tupac, And John Lennon Would Look Like If They Were Alive Today.
Alper Yesiltas, who lives in Istanbul, Turkey, created hyper-realistic portraits for a project titled “As if Nothing Happened.”
For this project, Yesiltas used artificial intelligence photo enhancement software and photo editing programs to visually revive stars who died young, bringing them back to life.
Behind this project lies the question that if big things didn’t happen to people, what would they look like in photos now?
In “As if Nothing Happened,” the Turkish photographer re-images famous figures who died young, often in tragic circumstances, as if they were still alive. With the help of artificial intelligence technology, he has created terrifyingly realistic portraits of cultural icons such as Tupac, Heath Ledger, Janis Joplin, and Michael Jackson.
Princess Diana was killed in the early hours of August 31, 1997, in Paris at 36 when the Mercedes Benz she was riding crashed while being chased by the paparazzi.
Alpes writes about the beginning of the formation of this project:
With the development of artificial intelligence technology, I have been excited for some time, thinking that anything imaginable can be made into reality. When I started working with this technology, I saw what I could do and thought about what would make me happier. I wanted to see some of the people I missed again before my eyes, and that’s how this project was born.
Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home in Seattle on April 5, 1994, after being shot in the head at 27.
Tupac died in Las Vegas at 25 from a gunshot wound on September 13, 1996.
John Lennon, the Beatles singer, was shot dead on December 8, 1980, at 40 outside the Dakota in New York City.
Heath Ledger died of a drug overdose on January 22, 2008, at 28.
Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia on November 24, 1991, at his home in London at 45.
Michael Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine poisoning at his home in Los Angeles on June 25, 2009, at 50.
Janis Joplin died on October 4, 1970, at 27, from a heroin overdose.
Elvis Presley, who suffered from a heart condition and diabetes, died on August 16, 1977, at 42.
Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose on September 18, 1970, at 27.
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