Negative Bible is an AI-generated text that systematically negates The Book of Genesis from the King James version of the Bible (1611). Questioning both machine and human capacities to negate, this is the first AI Bible to be (digitally) published. Developed through machine learning and large language models (LLMs), this project explores how AI navigates the complexities of linguistic opposition.
The work was developed using an agent-based approach: first the model identifies key events in every five verses, creating a summary; these underlying stories are then altered (rewritten) so that their actions lead to an opposite consequence. Three AI agents generate alternative rewritings for the verses, with the fourth one selecting the best match to the altered underlying story.
Presented as both a spatial installation and a digital/printed publication, Negative Bible, challenges the patriarchal, anthropocentric worldview embedded in religious narratives. It exposes inherited cultural constructs and biases, offering an alternative perspective on nature and humanity. As a linguistic experiment, the work explores multiple layers of opposition and the generative potential of negation simultaneously showcasing AI’s struggle and creativity in reinterpreting meaning.
Currently on view at the TU Delft Library, at the In the beginning was the solo exhibition by Katarina Petrović, curated by Vincent Cellucci.
Collaborators: Studio RNDR (software), Céline Hurka (typography)
Special thanks: TU Delft Library. Supported by Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industries Fund NL.
Installation view: In the beginning was the, TU Delft Library (27 Feb – 27 May 2025)