StarApple using AI to paint Jamaica’s sporting legacies

SPORTS, ART and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an unusual mix, but CEO of StarApple AI, Adrian Dunkley, has been using these components to create numerous art pieces in recognition of Jamaica’s athletic legacy.

Dunkley said his love for these disciplines has led him to create the Silicon and Sweat sports art collection.

“I was more the person who was interested more about what the statistics and what the (of sports), but I also have a love for art so the idea was how could I combine all these things to pay homage and respect to Jamaica’s legacy of sports internationally, but then use Artificial Intelligence, which is my specialisation, to create something beautiful, valued and unique to somehow encompass what we are doing as a nation right now and the impact that we are having,” Dunkley explained.

Jamaica already has many wall paintings and sculptures dedicated to sports, but Dunkley said he wants to take this a step further with AI and have his pieces be displayed in different spaces.

“I would love to have them in the national gallery or to do a road show or something, because we have been creating hundreds of them using different techniques as well, so it is not just Jamaican-type wall paintings but also abstract versions, graphic design versions, taking information from different areas, as well internationally, but ensuring that there is a Jamaican feel to what we are presenting,” he said.

This ‘Jamaican feel’ is what the StarApple founder said is the motif of the collection because although the pieces can be associated with popular athletes, an athlete is yet to agree or reach out to the company to be painted by AI.

“But with this exposure we are hoping that they (the athletes) will be onboard,” Dunkley said while speaking to The Gleaner.

He said StarApple also has plans of launching their artwork as NFTs, but the company is not looking to be the sole beneficiary of this initiative.

“The interesting thing for us is, we are teaching AI which is something that isn’t alive to try and express emotions with art so it still requires a lot of coaching and a lot of tweaking things along the way,” he noted. “We are not trying to trick people, but it would be great if they looked at it and think that it is a Jamaican artist who did this piece which is really what we are trying to go for here.”

He said they are yet to reach out to the Jamaica Olympic Association or the Ministry of Sports to ask them for support to do this.

“We have been perfecting the approach, but that is definitely on the project plan for us,” he said.

The CEO of the fairly new company said they have been working on numerous projects to help improve the quality of life for Jamaicans, but many are still in the developing stages, including this art project dedicated to sports.

“We are actually thinking of deploying them as NFTs, but as long as there is a component of the revenue that goes towards supporting our national sports so for us to get the word out we would love to partner with different sports agencies to do this,” Dunkley said. “They (the athletes) have dedicated their lives and bodies towards this and they put Jamaica on a map and then there’s no guarantee of somebody looking out for them after (retirement).

“So if we could partner with each athlete to create unique pieces based on how they feel, their experiences, and then launch an NFT for them to guarantee that revenue in the long term that would be wonderful.”