Digital Fantasies F2024, S2025

My Senior thesis from my undergraduate explores the negative social implications of non-consensual AI-generated pornography (deepfake pornography). Final deliverables included a clock, website, exhibition, and book.

Students’ clocks were put up for auction at the annual poster show fundraiser (profits going towards the materials and space for the Senior exhibition). The final exhibition was open to the public from May 7th to May 11th, 2025 at Arizona Center 1 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Production Design
Design Research
Exhibition Design
Book Layout
UI/UX Design Pro

Early concepting

Creative exploration began with mind-mapping related terms to visually navigate this sensitive topic.

From there, I explored flows of information across the website, exhibit, and book, while also defining the specific goals of each deliverable.

Ensuring brand consiste

I used C++ code to translate explicit images of the female body into ASCII art. Given ASCII art’s effectiveness when viewed from a distance, it was an ideal visual communication method for displaying across a room on a wall. The experience of seeing a lewd image from afar, only to reveal its encoded nature upon closer inspection reflects the truth of viewing deepfake pornography. The female body is broken down to a set of data. The final deliverable was laser-cut on cast acrylic and hand assembled. My clock was sold for $85.00 USD at the 17th annual poster show fundraiser.

Deepfake Playground

A supplementary part of my thesis was designing and developing an interactive micro-site, details about this project can be found here.

Ensuring brand consiste

With over 70 exhibitions displayed together, I prioritized capturing the viewers’ attention. At this stage, visual communication evolved from ASCII to pixelation, emphasizing the subject’s vulnerability while adding a human touch. The life-size print creates the impression that the female figure is present alongside the viewer, with strategic color and placement evoking an uncomfortable sense of boundary-crossing to explore the body.

The exhibition also provides introductory information on the topic, explanations of the AI technologies used, and personal testimonies presented through quotes and case studies. Interactive tiles allow visitors to test their ability to detect deepfakes, echoing the approach of the supplementary website.

My senior thesis book documents all research, processes, and personal reflections from my final year, detailing my journey with the project. The layout deliberately challenges standard grid systems, reflecting the thesis’s exploration of human morals in the face of advancing technology.