Abstract
This thesis investigates how AI-generated faces and objects, when combined with traditional photography, are reshaping modern advertising. Integrating academic research with hands-on creative experimentation, it examines how machine-generated visuals create meaning, reinforce cultural norms, and expose the limits of AI tools. Drawing on advertising theory, consumer culture, posthumanism, and surveillance capitalism, the study shows that AI imagery is never neutral: it reflects assumptions embedded in training data and shapes identity and representation. At the same time, the creative process underscores the ongoing importance of human judgment and artistic intention. The thesis argues that the future of advertising depends on hybrid authorship, where human creators and AI systems collaborate to produce innovative and ethically grounded visual work.
Advisor
Hayward, Jennifer
Department
Global Media and Digital Studies
Recommended Citation
Azhdarova, Zhansaya, "From Camera to Code: Exploring Hybrid Image-Making in Contemporary Advertising" (2025). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 13540.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/13540
Publication Date
2025
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
External Link
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XDWQ_8eRUjlwylibruKJb6mwm56-Zfrz?usp=share_link
© Copyright 2025 Zhansaya Azhdarova