The cost of feeding the entertainment machine

But what is happening now isn't just automation replacing routine tasks. We really do have a restructuring of how value is created and distributed. Unlike previous technological revolutions that primarily transformed physical production, AI transforms meaning-making itself, changing how we create and distribute value. The Ghibli AI trend is a perfe... See more

Our feeds are designed to “prod the would-be attender ever onward from one monetizable object to the next,” he writes. This has had a deadening effect on all kinds of culture, from Marvel blockbusters that optimize for attention minute to minute, to automated Spotify recommendations that push one similar song after another.

The significance of the shift from “generalized media” to “personalized media” cannot be overstated. Our digital worlds will soon be tailored to our interests in unfathomable ways. On the one hand, personalized experiences are likely to make marketing more effective. Brands have a precious opportunity to make us all feel “known” in our every intera... See more