@article{ART003263100},
author={Eun-Kwang Park},
title={From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory},
journal={The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art},
issn={1229-0246},
year={2025},
volume={76},
pages={182-204}
TY - JOUR
AU - Eun-Kwang Park
TI - From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory
JO - The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art
PY - 2025
VL - 76
IS - null
PB - 한국미학예술학회
SP - 182
EP - 204
SN - 1229-0246
AB - This study investigates the fundamental medial differences between AI-generated images and photographs. By employing actor-network theory (ANT), it moves beyond superficial analyses to “unblackbox” the production network of each medium. The analysis reveals photography as an “indexical network” that “captures” the world through physical causality and creates a direct trace of reality. In contrast, AI imagery is a “probabilistic network” that “constructs” images from data archives based on statistical probability originating from linguistic prompts and datasets often “inscribed” with societal biases. The study concludes that the core ontological divergence is the shift from “indexical trace” to “probabilistic construction,” and defines the AI image as a new medium: a “probabilistic generative apparatus.” Furthermore, this framework suggests that artistic value in the age of AI lies not in the final product, but in the “co-creation” process itself, which forms new relationships through human-machine interaction.
KW - Actor-Network Theory (ANT);Generative AI;Indexicality;Post-Photography;Production Network
DO -
UR -
ER -
Eun-Kwang Park. (2025). From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory. The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art, 76, 182-204.
Eun-Kwang Park. 2025, "From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory", The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art, vol.76, pp.182-204.
Eun-Kwang Park "From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory" The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art 76 pp.182-204 (2025) : 182.
Eun-Kwang Park. From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory. 2025; 76 182-204.
Eun-Kwang Park. "From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory" The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art 76(2025) : 182-204.
Eun-Kwang Park. From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory. The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art, 76, 182-204.
Eun-Kwang Park. From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory. The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art. 2025; 76 182-204.
Eun-Kwang Park. From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory. 2025; 76 182-204.
Eun-Kwang Park. "From Indexical Trace to Probabilistic Construction: The Ontological Divergence of AI Images and Photographs in Actor-Network Theory" The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art 76(2025) : 182-204.
