In the past, artists embedded QR codes within paintings, today we’re embedding images within QR codes! Users are linking their social media accounts, or their work not with boring scanners that work just fine, but beautiful images that also serve as a teaser of their work. 

These beautiful QR codes are just the beginning of a bigger trend because it is not limited to the few who know how to use the software. It isn’t new information that we can embed images into QR codes and make beautiful artwork out of them, but AI just made it ridiculously easy to do so. With a functional QR code and a link, just go on to Hugging Face that released the first open source free QR code AI art generator. 

How the trend began and how it works

Earlier this month, a Reddit user posted the first images of the AI generated QR art prompting others to respond with the resounding “How?” in the comments. Later, this was made available to everyone when Radamés Ajna, an engineer working with Hugging Face, announced that this process is available for all to experiment with. 

The Reddit user had employed ControlNet, an additional extension to an already amazing Stable Diffusion. ControlNet gives the user the liberty to tailor their creations to imitate a chosen reference photo or even random objects from it. This works well for txt2img and img2img of Stable Diffusion, and has a range of models working in different ways. For example, one model on ControlNet draws a sketch of a reference picture to match the depth of another reference picture, while another model tries to recreate the colour, facial features from a different image and put them all together in the final image. 

This complex layer over the text-to-image model of Stable diffusion can be accessed by downloading an extension. The internet is flooded with elaborate artwork done on mundane QR codes – all completely functional. 

Though all of this is very impressive, it’s the efficient error correction rate of QR code which makes all of this possible. Even with a 30% distortion or damage, the code is still functional which makes it perfect to play around with.

Massive potential for creativity 

QR codes, a sister of the bar codes, began gaining traction around 2011. Originally from Japan it was initially used to keep track of automobile parts in the assembly line. It worked its way into smartphones becoming indispensable in everyday use. Today, we use it to order food, to pay for it, to ensure the authenticity of vaccination certificates and, most strangely, even to pay respects to the dead. 

The artwork isn’t ending with just images, users have found a way to make the experience 3D using the 8th Wall offering that doesn’t require a separate plugin or app. You already have multiple softwares that allow you to do the same thing like SparkAR and Unity3D. The democratisation of the technology is going to be evident in the coming months where people would do a double take at the QR code while scanning them. 

The ubiquitous use of these QR codes can now be personalised and designed are brilliantly functional and beautiful pieces of art.