Art-based research inquiry
Emergence of the Cube Problem
Abstract
The "Cube Problem" represents a profound discovery at the intersection of artificial intelligence and creative practice. This paper documents a systematic art-based research inquiry that attempted to visualise systemic collapse through a hundred-stage generative process using AI. What began as an artistic endeavour unexpectedly revealed the fundamental tendency of AI systems to resist complexity by defaulting to geometric simplicity – specifically, cubic forms – despite explicit instructions to the contrary.
Through detailed technical documentation and theoretical analysis, I demonstrate how this resistance is not merely a technical limitation but reveals deeper structural conservatism embedded within supposedly revolutionary technologies. The persistent reversion to cubic forms illuminates broader patterns in how systems resist fundamental change by absorbing disruption while maintaining essential structure. These findings have significant implications for understanding human-AI co-creation, systemic resistance to transformation, and the limitations of computational approaches to representing complex socio-political realities.
