Argentine Artist Uses AI Art to Imagine the Victims Kidnapped During Argentina’s Dictatorship
(Synopsis)

A project undertaken by Argentine artist Santiago Barros utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to envision the current appearance of the children of those who vanished during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship from 1976 to
1983. Barros shares the images on his Instagram project, @IAbuelas. The artist’s depiction of these individuals prompts viewers to ponder the ongoing horror and the fact that these individuals continue to lack their true identities.

The military coup of 1976 in Argentina resulted in the deaths or disappearances of about 30,000 people, including roughly 500 children and infants. In response, the Abuelas of Plaza de Mayo, a group formed by the mothers and grandmothers of the victims, emerged as prominent advocates demanding answers about their missing loved ones. While the Abuelas expressed gratitude for the project and its 132 located grandchildren, they acknowledged that DNA testing remains the sole foolproof method of identification. The organization clarified that Barros’ initiative should be viewed as artistic rather than scientific.

Barros employs the MidJourney AI art app to combine photographs of the missing parents, downloaded from the Abuelas’ public archive, to create imagined representations of what their children might look like as adults today. Each combination produced by the app offers both male and female possibilities. Barros believes it is crucial to envision the grandchildren as adults, complete with wrinkles and gray hair

Esteban Herrera, a member of the Abuelas, emphasized that Barros collaborated with the Abuelas from an artistic perspective. Herrera himself became involved with the group when he uncovered the truth that his mother had been kidnapped by the state while she was pregnant, and never returned.

Barros clarified that his goal has always been to support the Abuelas’ mission, utilizing AI as a means for younger generations to engage with the atrocities of the past. However, he says that his project does not replace the ongoing need for DNA samples and other identification methods employed by the Abuelas, such as investigating potential illegal adoptions..