Here's a survey on how much generative AI will change important parts of human culture, inspired by a debate posted last week. In case you missed it, read the different perspectives below here:
Roughly summarized, one argument suggests AI will totally remake our conception of movies and other culture, replacing many or most creative humans along the way. Another argument suggests AI will become just one tool, much like programs like Photoshop did in previous years -- and humans will still be central to creating culture.
Read the debate summary after the break, take the survey, and expand the conversation in Comments below!
Pictured: Barbenheimer meme created through generative AI programs Midjourney and Gen-2
For the "nominal" change argument:
Grandiose predictions around AI have consistently been proven wrong and there’s still no evidence that’s going to change any time soon, especially around human expression.
The SAG strike was actually doing the studios a favor, because there’s no proof that consumers actually want to pay for AI-only content.
Gen AI may become an important tech tool like Photoshop and Maya before it, and that’s great, but there’s no reason to think it’ll substantially supplant the culture we cherish.
More key, no technology is inevitable. Humans ultimately control it, and humans can collectively decide to control gen AI’s abuses, as is already starting to happen. And any AI prediction which discounts concerted human action is destined to fail.
For the "radical" change argument:
To take the side of the robots; every grandiose AI prediction to take, has been premature. Not wrong.
Futurists like Asimov have been speculating for a long time what shape that takes; I'd say their biggest mistake was predicting we'd be replacing physical labor, before intellectual labor.
There is nothing special about the human mind - we're a collection of neurons and chemicals. The idea that algorithms running in squishy meat cannot run in silicon requires a real act of faith. The idea that robot creativity cannot match human creativity requires similar faith.
So, to me, the argument from the position of human supremacy rings hollow -- what matters is the output If you cannot distinguish between work produced by a human, or work produced by a machine - is there a distinction? Does the distinction even matter?
Reason? Things like this are now the usual:
https://boingboing.net/2023/11/28/sports-illustrated-deletes-articles-by-fake-ai-writers-after-expose.html
Posted by: Crackerpot | Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 06:17 AM
Just as past inventions — writing, paper, paint, vinyl records, cassette tapes, films, television, calculators, computers, the internet, and cloud services — have reshaped our lives, the advent of new AI, like LLMs and RAGs, is poised to do the same. These technologies are set to redefine the everyday, bringing forth a world of previously unimaginable possibilities. The familiar landscape of our existence will be transformed, with past innovations becoming mere components of a much larger tapestry.
What truly excites me is the potential for these advancements to augment, and in some cases, replace aspects of our thinking, feeling, and creative processes. This represents a potential paradigm shift for our species. With these new AI tools, we may finally unravel some of the most enduring mathematical, philosophical, and spiritual mysteries that have captivated humanity throughout its history. They might just hold the key to understanding the essence of our very being.
Posted by: Otoa | Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 11:11 AM
We can`t escape the change in the AI sphere even if we want. We should try to work with it and don`t think the distinction matters. Anyway, great post to read.
Posted by: student | Friday, December 01, 2023 at 12:56 AM