In June 2023, the first workshop session of the newly founded Artificial Worlds Group took place, hosted by Mariana Fernandez Mora and Ada Popowicz. The event invited participants to engage with a curated set of images and to describe them in ways that deliberately defied conventional interpretations. This approach paralleled the phenomenon often observed in artificial intelligence systems, commonly referred to as "hallucination," where AI generates unexpected or seemingly unrelated outputs.

The workshop departed from the following questions: In what ways can AI hallucinations contribute to the development of new taxonomies and perspectives for understanding the world? How might these new taxonomies reveal patterns or associations that challenge traditional notions of logic and categorisation? How can we understand digital structures in a physical way, and how does this embodiment influence the perception and engagement with the generated content and associations?

Taking inspiration from Abby Warburg's "Mnemosyne Atlas," participants delved into the relationship between notions of apophenia and the algorithmic world. Using printed images from Mariana's and Ada's archives, a collaborative effort emerged to construct a "new world encyclopedia." Descriptions were generated using online AI tools, with the directive to provide "wrong answers only." These descriptions, coupled with the images, were then arranged on the floor of the AHK Culture Club based on discovered patterns or associations. The exercise demonstrated that what might seem logical to some could be nonsensical to others—and that divergence is not only acceptable but also generative.

By embracing this act of "hallucinating," participants explored new dimensions of classification and categorisation. The exercise highlighted how rigid taxonomies can limit our understanding of the world, whereas embracing ambiguity and reinterpretation can foster creativity and deeper insights. This departure from conventional frameworks encouraged participants to reimagine the potential of classification as a fluid and expansive process rather than a static and reductive one.

This workshop has developed into a series and has been hosted in multiple venues, including the AHK Culture Club and Society 5.0.