Google AI turns all 10,000 BAYC NFTs into machine-made art

Google Cloud Neural Networks worked with its artificial intelligence (AI) software to make art. Not just any art — nonfungible token (NFT) art. 

The AI transformed all 10,000 Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs into machine-made works of art. These pieces of art take the form of abstract paintings. But when viewed closely, the paintings take the appearance of ape shapes that resembles the famous Yuga Labs collection.

The project was named Artsy Monke, combining the BAYC ape-spiration and the artistic, fine art aspect of the final product. According to an official statement, Artsy Monke utilized years of AI advancement along with image diffusion techniques. All images were created through Google’s collaborative Notebook service Colab in combination with cloud computing.

Google’s AI can reimagine these NFTs through text description and not just from reference images. For these pieces, the BAYC NFTs were given to the AI as “a loose canvas within which to frame the generative art,” said CryptoGrims, the resident AI artist.

CryptoGrims called the initial response mind-blowing and tweeted, “This is what happens when #technology meets #art.”

This is what happens when #technology meets #art.
10,000 unique pieces of original monkey art painted by an artificial intelligence trained to learn from 14 million images of every subject matter that ever existed. pic.twitter.com/fVWhprUGV9

— Grims (@cryptogrims) June 24, 2022

The artist said after the initial feeding of the image canvas, they had to teach the AI how to paint in “the twenty different art styles we shortlisted and then running multiple servers for several weeks to get the results we wanted."

Although some of the images can be easily paired with original BAYC images, the intricacy of these Artsy Monke creations is incomparable.

Some of the Artsy Monke pieces have entire micro worlds digitally painted into the vague outline of an ape while others are simply ape-shaped blended collages of futuristic elements.

Unlike the typically high price tags on BAYC NFTs, this 10,000-piece collection started at only 0.001 ETH, which at the time of sale equaled $1.40. However, the collection sold out shortly after its listing on OpenSea.

According to its creators, the NFT also acts as a utility token for holders to participate in Artsy Monke games and more. “We wanted Artsy Monke to be pieces of art that you could hang on your wall, but also, by using Web3 technology, we can also let holders access the Artsy Monke games and earn real money. The more Monke NFT you hold, the more games you can play and the more money you can earn,” said Dan Hovey, the blockchain developer behind the project.

Related: There’s more to NFTs than just PFPs — 5 ways nonfungible tokens will transform society

This BAYC-inspired project comes when the original collection is still a hot item on the market. Last month hundreds of BAYC owners signed up to have their NFTs available for hire to outside brands. Shortly after, the clothing brand Old Navy released a shirt featuring a leased ape.