AI and children design Norway Christmas issues

By Linn’s Staff

On Nov. 7 Norway’s post office, Posten, issued two stamps celebrating Christmas designed by two sixth-grade classes at Norway’s Drobak Montessori school and with the aid of artificial intelligence.

“What if children, instead of an artist or designer, got to make the Christmas stamps? And what if the children got to make the stamps using artificial intelligence (AI)?” Posten said in its press release.

Both nondenominated stamps pay the domestic rate (currently 23 kroner) for letters weighing up to 20 grams, and were designed by Camilla Kvien Jensen using AI and drawings submitted by the students.

One stamp illustrates a snowman skiing down a slope complete with ski poles, scarf and winter hat. To the left of the image is a teal vertical band which includes the text “Inland 20g.”

The second stamp pictures a dog wearing a Santa hat while sledding downhill on a wooden sled. A red vertical band to the right denotes the domestic rate “Inland 20g.”

In using AI to design the holiday stamps, Posten stamp director Halvor Fasting said, “AI is developing at a rapid pace, as is the question of ethics. Artificial intelligence is not likely to take over stamp design in the foreseeable future.” According to Fasting, “it has been interesting to see how AI can be used as a tool for image generation and stamp development.”

Joh. Enschede Security Print of the Netherlands printed the stamps by offset in booklets of 10 (five of each motif) in a run of 710,000 of each stamp. The stamps measure 36 millimeters by 22mm.

These Christmas issues are available at the Posten website. Posten also has presentation packs, collector sets and first-day covers for the stamps.

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