Just for the sake of argument, let me turn this around half-ways: Just as guns don’t kill people, people do, so AI does not produce slop, people do. Generative AI has its uses, where it becomes problematic is when people who can’t even judge a medium use it to produce something in that medium. It’s perfectly possible to get good stuff out of Stable Diffusion, but you have to know a thing or five about visual media or it’ll dazzle you. Applies the same for all genAI I’ve ever looked at.

Likewise, humans are perfectly capable of producing horrendous slop without aid of these tools – just look at the romance novel isle or what Hollywood was up to last year. What’s different nowadays is that it has become very easy to generate that slop, there has been an explosion of slop. If I were to imagine a silver lining it would be that people are probably going to get bored of it and non-slop, AI or non-AI, will see an increase in prestige and value. Just as the invention of photography saved painters from doing portraits.

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Bonus:

Summarise the fable of the robot and the antipsychotic

“The Fable of the Robot and the Antipsychotic” is a story that explores themes of mental health, technology, and the human condition. In this fable, a robot represents modern technology and its capabilities, while the antipsychotic symbolizes medication and support for mental health issues.

The robot, designed to optimize efficiency and productivity, struggles to understand the complexities of emotions and human experiences. It encounters an individual who is grappling with mental health challenges and is hesitant to seek help. The robot, despite its advanced programming, cannot provide the emotional support the individual needs.

Through the interaction, the fable highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and the role of medication in managing mental health. The robot eventually learns that while it can assist in many areas, the human experience requires compassion and connection, which technology alone cannot provide.

In the end, the story conveys that while robots and technology can enhance our lives, they should complement, rather than replace, the human touch in addressing emotional and mental well-being.