#ai

Masterful and essential Ed Zitron post went up yesterday that really strikes a nerve amongst anyone who isn't part of or identifies with the management class he's taking down, but are forced to work under or with them nonetheless in our Rot Economy: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-era-of-the-business-idiot/

This compliments @pluralistic's vital critiques of #enshittification quite well, but they're both getting at something larger IMO: as a society, we've been conditioned by the powerful to accept substance-free mediocrity as not just the norm, but the optimal state. It shows up in tons of ways, from vapid social media influencers peddling poorly-made vanity products with no real intrinsic value, to the neverending reign of reality TV's paint-by-numbers programming, to the cynical "brainrot" content trends we see now, to everyone desperately trying to pretend #AI in its current state is anything but a bell curve simulator, to cynical politicians virtue signaling about every issue while doing everything they can to avoid anything resembling legislation or governance (i.e. their job).

In every way, the rich prefer a world in which we're distracted and disarmed while they can enrich themselves by merely existing without straining or challenging themselves in any way. It's the societal equivalent of parents handing kids an iPad so they don't have to deal with them vs. actually parenting. Name any of the #billionaires who obsessively focus on our collective substance and incremental improvement vs. jazz hands PR stunts and corporate pablum while paying lip service about shareholder value. You can't, they don't exist. Every single one of them is trying to give you, the baby, an iPad to play with, so you'll leave them the fuck alone. Better yet, if you die or disappear, they can just keep the iPad for themselves and not have to deal with you at all! Wonder why they're bankrolling tax cuts that destroy much of what makes existing in this country possible and worthwhile?

We are in a class war, not a culture war. Our politics are a symptom of what Ed lays out here, not the cause. The sooner we all realize that and band together, the better off we'll all be.

#economics #uspol #oligarchy

The Computer Arts Society 2025 programme continues

Discussion: AI, Creativity and Curation

Panellists: Mario Klingemann & Kalen Iwamoto; Host & Presenter: Geoff Davis

18:00 BST, Tuesday, 17 June 2025

This event is via Zoom only.

What happens when #AI not only generates #art selecting works that reflect established #aesthetics but also invents entirely new genres? Are we seeing novel collaborations, or challenges to #human artistic authenticity? Can a #machine be an #artist The next step may be AI that creates and curates personalised art, delivering memetic content for casual audiences, while using the same processes to create historically-informed works for #galleries or #collectors.

Whether you're an artist, #curator collector, or simply curious, this Zoom-only session offers critical perspectives on integrating AI into #creative practice—while preserving the human values still central to art. At least, for now.

Book: https://computerartssociety170625.eventbrite.co.uk/