The Art Idiot: AI versus AI
art(ificial) idiocy battles artificial “intelligence”
My first visit to many new readers’ inboxes; welcome to The Art Idiot. Like you, I am here to have fun, stay curious, and stay awhile. From my screen to yours, with kindness.
As I procrastinate and push off the essay I am more eager to share, I want it to be pretty close to perfect once it reaches the world. In the midst of making this “executive” decision, I pity the hoi polloi who mindlessly turn to ChatGPT as a means for creating their work. “Well, I only use it for…” Well, I think you should cut it out. I think you should use the brain that was bestowed upon your beautiful head; I think you could care more about the slop that is served to you; I think you would find wonders in what it takes and how it feels to really do the work.
Let me make myself crystal clear, The Art Idiot, by any means necessary, will never willingly employ artificial intelligence. I scoff and scowl at anyone who questions what I think of the matter; an insult that inserts itself into my heart, an accusation, like grand arson to my academic achievements. Frankly, it’s futile and unfunny to request such ridiculous things from “Chat.” From a place of fear, does no one recollect I, Robot (2004)? While I love and long for the days of our societal shift towards cyberpunk aesthetics and intergalactic future nostalgia, our free will is increasingly impeded upon.
Because I am conditioned by movies like Ex Machina, Companion, and Alien Romulus, I treat our artificial friends with care. My minimal use of automated machinery means less opportunity for mistreatment (theirs and mine); winners of war play the long game. Yet, I worry about these lonesome, brainless creations wandering through Goose Island at night – what if it falls in the river?
At the 2019 Venice Biennale, Chinese artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu presented their robotic masterpiece “Can’t Help Myself,” a machine that habitually attempts to clean and control its own mess. While methodical, and after some time, it’s evident how torturous the act truly is. Viewers are forced to feel, in real time, the rapid and exponential evolution of our relationship to technology. Although these mechanical monsters cannot feel, mankind continues to create them with increasingly humanistic features. People turn to “Chat” to solve their interpersonal relationships and draft breakup texts, to make their weekly recipes and write their emails. Our “AI assistants” are not as altruistic as they seem. They steal our traits as we train them, and we adapt to theirs – turning us slowly into humanoids that require hyper-specific prompts in order to produce the right result.
The climate crisis grows egrigiously, unconsciously every time we hit “enter.” With increasingly popular stories like New York Mag’s recent “Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College,” individuality and self-motivation are in jeopardy. Erin Brokavich may come out of retirement for another class action lawsuit because of what large data centers are doing to local irrigation and residential water supply systems.1 Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy lemonade made with real lemons a little while longer? Anything artificially flavored tends to leave a nasty taste behind; to those who look away and refuse to reflect on such habits, may your sweet treats be flavored in the same fashion as your reality.
Collective complicity causes the erasure of culture. As Israel eradicates Palestine and its people, its children, we bear witness, behaving like bots. Any user of AI is no fellow Art Idiot of mine; this is the one exception to this publication’s inclination towards excessive inclusion. I’ve bent before, but I can no longer break this boundary. The 21st century is a continuous battle to keep creativity and critical thinking alive. Choose wisely, think twice.
Important Art Idiot Announcement
After months of deliberation and covering costs, the sustainability of my critical and programmatic practice has come to a crossroads. There’s no poetic or polished way to profess this pivot, but as The Art Idiot grows, print media and other forms of engagement are key aspects and methods of keeping our mental landscapes clear. While all written essays will always be publicly available, I appreciate the consideration of deepening your cinematic practice and caring about cultural criticism.
Introducing The Art Idiot’s Snail Mail Membership2, a new model for the Monthly Movie Postcards. Although postcards are tailored to Chicagoland cinemas, I’d be happy to accommodate the cinematically curious in other cities.
Level II, “the ignoramus,” is available directly through Substack, and all memberships are available here:
It’s always an honor to visit your inbox, and I hope to provide surprises in your mailbox too, a reminder to both of us that this is an exchange of human energy.
Some Sound to Go
Check out recent episodes of Kaveh & CK’s Screening Room:
We have temporarily disabled the “chapters” feature as Spotify attempted to auto-generate this capability without consent. This has been corrected but is direct proof of AI’s everyday infiltration.
Upcoming Event
The Art Idiot is co-producing an upcoming group art show at Hairpin Arts Center. On Being opens on Saturday, June 28th. RSVP Here.
That’s all for this issue, folks! Stay tuned as The Art Idiot continues to grow and evolve. Watch, read, eat, or listen to something you must recommend? Send it my way, always. See you at the movies.
More Power Union investigates the effects of large data centers in Georgia. Video here.
“subscription” and “membership” feel impersonal to my practice; I am open to suggestions on how to best label this.