Both Nikolai and Sev have written pieces on the same topic, so it seems like we’re all seeing the same thing right now.
Over the last few weeks there has been a great deal of A.I. generated content released on the internet, including the programs themselves. On Gab there have been a lot of people experimenting with this, especially with the art and article content generators. The results in some ways are impressive, but in other ways not very inspiring at all.
Laughs aside, why are we seeing all of this all of a sudden? We didn’t just get a word to image AI program appear out of nowhere, but all of the other versions too, and all at the same time. Distraction perhaps? Hey, look over there at that new thing why we frantically try and cover all of this other shit up over here! Maybe, perhaps; or that could just be part of it.
What’s obvious to me at least is that the coordinated aspect of this release upon the public’s general awareness tells me that these programs have been in use for quite some time. So with that in mind, how much artwork that we’ve been seeing since who knows when has been made by a program and not a human hand? And music for that matter. And articles as well, and perhaps even books considering the awful state of the publishing world. Maybe a good number of the articles published during the Covid scam that pushed the ever changing narrative were computer generated. It sure would help to explain some things. And for sure a lot of what is being out out there right now. Sev examined a Newsweek article attempting to walk back the Covid response; now I suspect it was just written by a program.
I’m pretty much an analog guy, apart from the computer. But even then, the way I use my computer is fairly close to 1986. We like to talk about craftsmanship, and seeking out products that have been built by hand; holding dead tree books while reading, or listening to music from an actual vinyl record. But perhaps we also need to be looking for our craftsmanship in the content of the things we read, look at and listen to.
Some high positioned weasel in the Vatican got upset the other day about “keyboard warriors” leading the seminarians astray, or as Harvey adroitly put it, “Corrupting the minds of the young men studying for priesthood is, of course, his job, dammit.” But with these AI programs being made widely available, I believe that keyboard warriors and their brothers in arms in the art and music worlds are going to become even more crucial in the spiritual and physical struggle for hears and minds.
The newspaper and magazine business model has been dead for some time; the only reason that the walking corpses have been kept alive is due to their propaganda value. But now with these AI programs, that model could return from the grave if the publishers don’t have to pay for content creators. Which means that us humble and not so humble keyboard warriors could be the last real deal. Sure, read your AI generated articles in Newsweek or The Atlantic. Or you could tune into your local blog and read some stuff that was written by an actual person whose brain hasn’t been turned to mush.
Originally published at Pushing Rubber Downhill. You can purchase Adam’s books here.