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Wow, Amy, brilliant stuff. So many complex, philosophical ideas to ponder.

Just this morning I read an epic essay by a whip-smart writer friend who discussed the idea that when we experience art, we by definition bring with us all of our past experiences of art too. For example, our experience of Picasso will be impacted by how much other art we've already consumed, especially how much surrealist art.

So, I wonder, will we be more comfortable with art constructed by AIs once we've already had the opportunity to do so? In other words, once it's not totally novel and terrifying, could it become normalized?

Again, very interesting piece! I'm going to take a stab at an AI riff soon. Need to get a lot smarter on the topic first (and in general).

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I really loved reading this especially since I saw an earlier version of the slide show and we’ve talked about so many of these ideas recently but also for years. I’m also really glad your colleagues value your contributions in this area. I’m sure your students do as well.

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"will you read a book, listen to a song, go to a show, if you don’t know “where it came from”?" - I'd like to think I would! If only people were more willing to take chances on unknowns!

This was wonderful, Amy. And so generous of you to share all the work that went into this presentation with your Substack readers. I love the slide with your bunny and quote from "The Ethos of AI is a Void," which I now have saved to my To Be Explored list.

AI both fascinates and terrifies me, but I'm grateful to anyone willing to excavate it and put it through its paces for the benefit of their fellow humans. Thank you!

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Good stuff. I suspect we’ll all have to make our minds up on this ... is AI generated art/music/prose good enough for me? A shitty version of a Beatles song might be forced on us in a commercial realm (think of Muzak playing in an elevator), but we’d never play it at home.

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Apr 23, 2023Liked by Amy Letter

Thanks. A thoughtful piece :)

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I've nothing intelligent to say, but this was great!

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