Herjólfur installs AI puffin mural as a cheap temporary fix

Several passengers aboard the Herjólfur ferry were surprised to find an artificial intelligence-generated mural of puffins in the children’s area, mbl.is reports. The image has drawn questions about whether AI-generated artwork belongs on board.

Herjólfur’s managing director, Ólafur Jóhann Borgþórsson, said the picture had several flaws, including distorted puffin faces and an island landscape that does not resemble the surroundings of Vestmannaeyjar.

The mural was intended to add colour to a previously plain space. Other ideas, including filling the area with colourful shapes, were considered, but managers chose AI-generated artwork as a temporary and inexpensive solution.

The image also shows a whale, several fish and a cliff meant to resemble Heimaklettur. The ship has no other decorations apart from a map of the town of Vestmannaeyjar made by a cartographer.

Borgþórsson said managers had received no direct feedback about the images, but had noticed passengers discussing whether AI-generated art was appropriate for the ferry. He said the decision was open to criticism and that managers had not yet considered what to do next.