From Mechanical Reproduction to Generative AI: A Critical Intervention into AI-Generated Images

This paper explores the intersection of critical theory and artificial intelligence, with a focus on the cultural implications of AI-generated images. Grounded in the foundational ideas of the Frankfurt School, the analysis interrogates how generative AI technologies reproduce and reshape dominant ideologies through visual media. Engaging with concepts such as the culture industry, AI aesthetics, and the politics of representation, the paper argues for a renewed cultural critique of technology. Drawing on feminist, postcolonial, and data-critical perspectives, the intervention highlights how AI image generation not only contributes to the algorithmic standardization of culture but also amplifies existing social biases. Ultimately, the paper positions critical theory as a vital framework for understanding and contesting the socio-technical imaginaries embedded in contemporary algorithmic culture.