Developing Near Futures

A stage presentation for photoSCHWEIZ 26 on Sunday, February 8, 2026

When photography was first invented, no one knew what it was good for. The camera couldn’t hold a candle to a painter’s brushstroke. It was slower, clumsier, more alien. Decades passed before we stopped comparing it to painting and discovered what only photography can achieve.

We find ourselves in the same uncertain dawn of AI-generated images. Today, we compare them to the photographer’s craft. Tomorrow, we may discover uses for them that we cannot yet name.

ETH Zurich’s π Innovation Hub takes the audience on a journey from the exhibition “NEAR FUTURES”—five black-and-white photographs of tomorrow—into the reality of how visualization shapes space research and innovation. Take a look behind the scenes of AI image generation: the complexity of prompts, the stages of refinement, and the deeply collaborative process in which researchers, designers, and engineers come together around a shared vision of a desired truth. Then experience how these same tools drive the entire spectrum of space innovation, from mission simulations to communication with stakeholders.

Part history, part guided tour, part behind-the-scenes look. This presentation showcases AI-driven image generation as a highly intellectual and collaborative endeavor and explores what new forms of creative authorship might emerge.