Minutes of a Monday #28
Brain Food > The Hollow Algorithm
“It’s nice to let Artificial Intelligence (AI) have its moment in the sun, because it takes time. The hype cycle moves fast, but engineering doesn’t. Engineering takes time. If you’re trying to engineer at the same pace as the hype cycle, it won’t work. I think of AI in terms of supply and demand. We already have an abundant supply of images: every website is plastered with them. So the ability of everyone to make hundreds of new images and put them on their social media feeds isn’t interesting to me. Scarcity drives quality and AI art is lacking in scarcity, so it tends to be lacking in quality.
My theory is that when we experience art – whether it’s a video game or a Da Vinci painting or a movie – we’re taking in a huge number of micro decisions that were made by artists for particular reasons. In that way, we’re communicating with those artists and that is really important.
Something generated by AI might seem comparable to something prepared by a human, which is why people are so excited. But you’re not having that awareness of communing with the creator.
Remove that and it’s hollow and uninteresting.”
Neal Stephenson on AI in conversation with the FT. His 1992 science fiction novel ‘Snow Crash’ introduced several concepts that are part of our everyday lives today.
Soul Food
“The deepest principle of Human Nature is the craving to be appreciated.”
William James
LOL
Knock knock…
Appendix
“It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.”
AOB
My laptop is in the shop & I'm on the road, so please forgive any typos :)