Excellent piece, Paul. I’m thoroughly enjoying your commentary and reporting on the AI enshittification of our culture and minds. As a creator, I’m annoyed and alarmed by AI proliferation and outright theft of human generated content. However, it is heartening to read your comments underscoring the mediocrity of AI country music, Zuckerberg, and Bro Country. To my mind it also shines a light on the sorry state of men in our society who seek the shallow, hollow reinforcement of mediocre he-man stereotypes.
[actually. i think you are making a joke, but you are also pointing at the problem: at some point "we" don't know, and give up trying. Even before AI, Russia, I am told, adopted a new strategy for its propaganda: rather than just lying about specific events, they have found it more effective to lie about everything. That creates a kind of learned helplessness among the people. I have felt the effects of that myself right here in America since the rise of Trump.]
"The lyrics are all about strength, independence, and uniqueness. The narrator goes on and on about how people criticize him, but he’s so awesome and confident that they can’t get him down, and they can all go straight to hell. Without ascribing intent to the AI, this is a rich text of aspiration, meant for men caught in the crushing alienation of a mass society that makes true individuality so difficult, yearning to be powerful and special as they stride handsomely down the street in their leather dusters."
Leaves men and women siloed, unable to connect with what is human. That state is what enables authoritarians to tighten their grip.
i couldn't have said it better myself. But there may be some danger, however, in trying too hard to be "creative" ourselves.
Even without AI there has long been an industrial level of "art" put out for the sole purpose of making money, And it often seems to find an audience. One thing that's funny to me, is that Ayn Rand a long time ago complained about the dumbing down of popular taste. My own take on that was that she was herself part of the dumbing down by getting herself referred to as a philosopher and, gasp, a writer. Now we are seeing final victory of Randian first raters, who have dumbed themselves down to the point where they believe they are smartest people in the world. Well, they always believed that, but now they think they are reaping the rewards and recognition they always deserved.
Much as I loved their work I'm glad Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, John Prine et al didn't live to see this. I wonder what Willie Nelson thinks about this. Hopefully he's blissfully unaware.
hard for me to tell which side you are on. but the reported huge demand for electricity by the AI machine is an obscene step to be taking against the threat of global warming, not to mention a very very real threat against what remains of meaningful democracy and our own personal freedom. all for what?
Excellent piece, Paul. I’m thoroughly enjoying your commentary and reporting on the AI enshittification of our culture and minds. As a creator, I’m annoyed and alarmed by AI proliferation and outright theft of human generated content. However, it is heartening to read your comments underscoring the mediocrity of AI country music, Zuckerberg, and Bro Country. To my mind it also shines a light on the sorry state of men in our society who seek the shallow, hollow reinforcement of mediocre he-man stereotypes.
How do I know this wasn’t written by an AI?
Rob,
if you have to ask, you'll never get to know.
[actually. i think you are making a joke, but you are also pointing at the problem: at some point "we" don't know, and give up trying. Even before AI, Russia, I am told, adopted a new strategy for its propaganda: rather than just lying about specific events, they have found it more effective to lie about everything. That creates a kind of learned helplessness among the people. I have felt the effects of that myself right here in America since the rise of Trump.]
This goes to the nub of it:
"The lyrics are all about strength, independence, and uniqueness. The narrator goes on and on about how people criticize him, but he’s so awesome and confident that they can’t get him down, and they can all go straight to hell. Without ascribing intent to the AI, this is a rich text of aspiration, meant for men caught in the crushing alienation of a mass society that makes true individuality so difficult, yearning to be powerful and special as they stride handsomely down the street in their leather dusters."
Leaves men and women siloed, unable to connect with what is human. That state is what enables authoritarians to tighten their grip.
Paul
i couldn't have said it better myself. But there may be some danger, however, in trying too hard to be "creative" ourselves.
Even without AI there has long been an industrial level of "art" put out for the sole purpose of making money, And it often seems to find an audience. One thing that's funny to me, is that Ayn Rand a long time ago complained about the dumbing down of popular taste. My own take on that was that she was herself part of the dumbing down by getting herself referred to as a philosopher and, gasp, a writer. Now we are seeing final victory of Randian first raters, who have dumbed themselves down to the point where they believe they are smartest people in the world. Well, they always believed that, but now they think they are reaping the rewards and recognition they always deserved.
Dunning-Kruger effect
Much as I loved their work I'm glad Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, John Prine et al didn't live to see this. I wonder what Willie Nelson thinks about this. Hopefully he's blissfully unaware.
How much water did that waste?
Maybe I should write a sad country song about the total destruction of the environment, lol.
Terri
hard for me to tell which side you are on. but the reported huge demand for electricity by the AI machine is an obscene step to be taking against the threat of global warming, not to mention a very very real threat against what remains of meaningful democracy and our own personal freedom. all for what?