I fully expect the term “artist” to soon include “orchestrators of algorithms” (depending on who you ask), and something like a cultural war defending “classical” turf against algorithmic encroachment. This article could be part of it.
The term “art director” is already in use. Summoning AI clip art feels a lot like when an art director is tasking a photographer or illustrator with generating assets.
Truth is most successful artists and designers, especially in commercial art, have always been blurring the line between direction and “pure creation”.
> We must prioritize—and call on state power to protect—individual subjects over algorithm-driven systems, and the complexities of social difference over the unifying drive of abstract capital.
Good luck with that! The author doesn't seem to realise that 'state power' is the biggest beneficiary of this technology - AI is planned to run the technocratic governance system.
However the risk exist (and its in fact already happening, see insurance but also airport screening) for private actor using algorithm to embed societal and systemic biases into the algorithms, and a pathway to redress damage caused by that is going to be necessary, and fast.
Did you read the entire article? They specifically bring up, amongst others, the role the Chinese state is playing in the development of this technology to ‘control and manage’ its populace
How to explain his quote though? He seems to buy into the idea of evil governments (China) and good ones (his own) that can somehow be petitioned!
He seems to have no recollection of the Edward snowden revelations. The learning here was that Western governments collect information on their own citizens as part of their governance methodology, they are the worst, but they do this covertly (for now).
In the west, the trick seems to be to make/allow people to think they have some autonomy via 'representative democracy' while propagandising them via the corporate governance arm. In the west, we don't seem to be able to recognise that corporations and government are 2 wings of the same bird, whereas in China they do not suffer that illusion.
Put simply, its individuals versus authority. If you believe you need to have an authority to decide for you, so be it - do as you will. The problem is that most authority believers seem to think it is ok to inflict governance on everyone else too!
> The problem is that most authority believers seem to think it is ok to inflict governance on everyone else too!
Or more precisely they wish to inflict their ideals through governance on everyone else. No need to inflict anything on them because they are already true believers.
