Barcode Expansion - with AI?

Scrolling thru LinkedIn, I saw a post by my friend Robert Maiale - and it got me thinking…

When someone tells me something CAN’T be done, my brain gets triggered into a ‘Oh really?’ mode.

While Rob’s post was not directed at me, it just revealed a tiny streak of rebel in me, that read the words and took it as a personal challenge. Not rebellion against good and right, but a strong sense of ‘I bet I could figure that out’- with an undercurrent of ‘and possibly prove you wrong’ (but the later is far more subtle.)

Here are the awesome images of inspiration that Rob shared:

Rob Maiale's barcode share

These are simple fantastic… and with 226 LIKES so far on the post, it is resonating with LinkedIn also.

Rob’s post reads:

AI won't generate these kinds of ideas...
Seriously, the design opportunity of a lifetime has been staring us in the face for years—on every shelf and package.
Barcodes. Yes, barcodes.
The most boring, overlooked part of packaging, transformed into moments of brand delight.
This is more than clever design—it’s a lesson in rethinking every *touchpoint*.
When even the most utilitarian detail becomes an opportunity to surprise and delight, you show your audience that your brand cares about every detail.
It’s also a survival tactic in the grocery aisle—a sea of sameness where milliseconds of attention mean the difference between being noticed and being passed by.
These brilliant designs are enough to break through the noise, proving that creativity can thrive even in the smallest, most unexpected places 👏

So, my question is…

Can I use AI to generate barcode expansions?

I am going to explore this across a range of tools and see what I can come up with in solving this challenge.

First, I need a barcode… so I started by scouring through my pantry in search of some barcodes I can play with. A few things proved interesting.

Before I begin playing with the actual image generation around the barcodes, I want to start my conversation with a favorite LLM (which currently teeters between ChatGPT and Claude.)