So obviously, AI does not have soul, right? So the art it creates won’t either. But this lack of soul isn’t new. That is, media based on structure rather than having anything to say. And we see that audiences don’t mind. Look at the Marvel films or Ubisoft games.
That is, media built by conglomerates with the sole purpose of selling units.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to sell units. I would generally consider myself a businessman rather than an artist, but selling units should not be the sole purpose. There should be some desire to enlighten those who interact with it. There should be some difference, however small, between the person before and after consuming the media.
AI can create popcorn media.
And it can do it better than people can. Or, I genuinely believe, it will be able to within the next five years.
In some roundabout way, this may be beneficial to humanity in the long run. We naturally have a desire to avoid that which is abundant. And by that, I mean, we are attracted to the rare. So, if popcorn media is infinite, why bother with it?
But I suppose one could look at junk food and retort: it is also in abundance, yet people flock to it.
And you know what, that is probably correct…
I suppose that my expectation is that, like the healthy eating enlightenment of the 60s, we will (should) have a sort of media-health enlightenment. You need a balanced diet of art. In my personal opinion, there is really no place for popcorn in one’s media diet, other than for the occasional treat, just as is the case for real popcorn. It is to be used purely as a sort of positive feedback tool. For instance, as a reward at the end of a day well lived. This positive feedback can train your brain to repeat a pattern.
Now, just like with food, it can be a bit hard for the untrained to recognize what is healthy and what is popcorn. In my mind, we must make schemas and such, like we’ve done with food, to gain a better understanding.
But how I do it personally is the same way I do with food: I listen to my body.
But this won’t always work. Again, if you’ve been eating unhealthily for long enough, your body becomes accustomed to it. When you remove what your body has adapted to, it won’t feel good when you cause it to re-adapt. This is where philosophy or the aforementioned schemas come in. There must be some sort of faith in these schemas, as they must be followed despite a period of discomfort.