Anemoia Device: AI Extracts Scents from Photos to Evoke Imaginary Memories

Researchers from Harvard and MIT have developed the Anemoia Device, a machine that uses artificial intelligence to generate scents from photographs. The device, created by Cyrus Clarke, Nomy Yu, Melo Chen, Yuen Zou, and Hiroshi Ishii, combines image analysis with user text inputs to select aromas that evoke the scene depicted. The name 'anemoia' was coined in 2012 by writer John Koenig in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, meaning nostalgia for a time never experienced. The project explores memory malleability in the AI era, positioning users as active co-authors rather than passive consumers. It aims to induce non-existent memories through scent, similar to dreaming, referencing Proust's madeleine effect. The work was published on Artribune, an Italian art news platform.