Image Empire

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Image Empire

“Something strange is happening in the dark corners of data centers, smart phones and game engines…”

Image Empire by Alan Warburton (2026)

Watch Image Empire

Image Empire is an animated fairytale about the fusion of the real and the virtual within contemporary AI models. The work is specifically designed for release on the professional networking website LinkedIn, a platform where workers in the creative sector share the same feed as those championing AI disruption.

Join the Conversation on LinkedIn

 

Image Empire: A Field Guide

This project is accompanied by an accessible white paper – Image Empire: A Field Guide – that unpacks the fairytale and is tailored for use in educational and organisational contexts.Free to download, 23 pages, richly illustrated.

  • Connects synthetic images, labour and AI world models.
  • Designed to be read in a single sitting.
  • Based on five years of doctoral research.
  • Written for students, young creatives and working professionals.
  • No prior knowledge required.
  • Suitable for classrooms, studios and workshops.
  • Covers media literacy, visual culture, worldbuilding.
Read Now (via alanwarburton.com)

“Fairytales have an uncanny way of reflecting truth through fiction, and I believe Image Empire tells a version of the truth of what is happening right now with AI. What we’ve been most delighted by in this project has been the spirit of collaboration across the many agencies involved, and in particular the generosity of ideas Alan brings to everything he does as an artist. “
John O’Shea, Creative Director & Co-CEO, National Videogame Museum

AI and the Videogame Industry

There are some wildly different views on AI and its potential benefits and risks within the videogames industry. Some studio bosses are excited about what AI can and will bring to production, whilst others are sceptical, wanting to keep AI out of the creative process.

At the National Videogame Museum, we seek to highlight what happens “behind the screens,” in the videogame industry, and demystify how games are produced, ready to be downloaded onto phones or purchased on Steam.

“One of the reasons I’m so excited about NVM leading on this commission is the massive and increasing influence of videogames on our collective imaginary, through the games industry and everyday experience, but also growing numbers of artists using gaming and world-building as unique arenas to explore contemporary life.“
Hannah Redler Hawes, Curator-Producer for Image Empire

Image Empire Project Team

Creator: Alan Warburton.

Image Empire is commissioned by the National Videogame Museum, working with curator Hannah Redler-Hawes, in collaboration with the Open Data Institute Data as Culture & Cambridge University’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI).

Image Empire has been made possible by The Space, supported by Arts Council England.

This project is accompanied by an accessible white paper – Image Empire: A Field Guide – that unpacks the fairytale and is tailored for use in educational and organisational contexts.

Read the white paper

Public Events and Screenings

  • The Open Data Institute will screen and discuss Image Empire as part of a public webinar (date TBC).

  • Cambridge University’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence will host a symposium on Image Empire on Friday 24 April 2026.

  • The National Videogame Museum, Sheffield hosted a special screening event and panel discussion featuring the animation on 5 March 2026.

  • The National Videogame Museum launched Image Empire online on 5 March 2026 at 12pm GMT via its LinkedIn account here.

Credits 
Researched, written, animated, soundtracked and voiced by Alan Warburton.
Producer/Curator: Hannah Redler-Hawes

Additional Animation:
Frank Mansfield
Christina S. Nerland
Alex Widdowson

Translation:
Omar Gabriel Torres Valencia (Spanish)
Jenn Leung (Chinese)
Raja Bagga (Hindi)

Voiceovers:
Jenn Leung (Chinese)
Anushka Nair (Hindi)
Emilio Sosa Estrada (Spanish)

Special thanks to John O’Shea, Keighley Cowood, Harmeet Chagger, David Dinnage and Maya Indira Ganesh.