One who is obedient to nature receives the blessings of nature. When the craft lacks this inevitability, so does it lack strength and beauty. Rich qualities seen in folk craft are gifts from nature. When we see the beauty in them, we hear nature speak.
― Sōetsu Yanagi
AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. But what does intelligence look like or feel to you? Is emotional intelligence really all that important? Who’s more intelligent – a GO master or a Kapellmeister (German for Conductor or Dirigent)? Is a Casio calculator the apex of mathematical capability? Do caregivers need PhDs? Can consciousness and intelligence live independently from one another? It all depends on the perspective, and yes, to a degree, that of the individual. I do not perceive the current systems (ChatGPT, Dall-E, Supertone, This Person Does Not Exist, etc.) as conscious, but their outputs are nonetheless competent (usually). But are they the first glimpses into what an artificial super-intelligence can be? Or merely well-designed tools? I am not sure yet. Still, let me try and paint a picture of how I feel about it through a brief example of two very different approaches to video game making.
On average, Ubisoft’s narrative and design smack of artificiality, superficiality, and voluminousness. Take any of their modern titles like AC Valhalla, The Crew 2, Ghost Recon Breaking Point, Far Cry 6, and Watch Dogs Legion. These are perfect examples of advanced tools for generating large-scale terrain, true-to-life atmospheric conditions, and high-quality meshes. Rarely, even the narrative used leaves a lasting impression. However, their open-world games come at a premium, with additional DLC ready as soon as the sales go stale. And for the money (especially early on), you receive a product that works exactly as expected. A couple of hours into any of the titles, I listed above, you know how the rest of the experience will pan out. The closest analogy I can draw is accidentally figuring out the magician’s approach to tricks at the show’s beginning. You’re not immune to surprises, but in the internet language, “you cannot unsee” the deception. Despite the thousands of development hours, Ubisoft’s games feel like conveyor belt products – not bad, but perfectly forgettable for the most part. Then, you have the extreme opposite in Unravel by Coldwood Interactive AB, for example. Its main story takes a leisurely 8 hours to complete.
“… the yarn that makes up Yarny represents love, and that the character unravels as they travel away from what they love.“
And that’s all you need to know. A game for your heart alone to enjoy. Narrative and design intermingling, accepting of their humble origins, leaving behind all pretence of greatness, in a size-doesn’t-really-matter approach to the intricacies of the human condition. No matter how you slice it, the more mechanised and automated the creation process, the more obvious the puppeteer’s strings.
So, can AI write? The short answer is yes. Text prediction machine learning algorithms can produce volumes on any given subject. All coherent but cookie-cutter. This availability makes for an excellent addition to any workflow. We all need prompts, quick drafts and quick facts – things an automated writing tool will excel at and surpass humans. Moreover, the work of a machine can be quantified. You can tell the number of resources required to run a query vs the time it takes to produce an output. And for the most part, it’s predictable, in the same way your coffee maker presents you with a hot cup of your favourite pick-me-up instead of an elixir vitae (some may argue to the contrary). On the other hand, the value of human effort, especially where raw (spontaneous) creativity is concerned, can only ever be approximated. The Japanese have a word for this – shokunin. In English, it translates as ‘artisan’, but the word’s origin is also tightly enwrought with a sense of devotion and community. Time is no longer measured in nanoseconds but rather in generations. In a sense, through art, that which is transient in nature attempts to endure the inevitable with dignity and grace.
I recognize that having god-like AI at our disposal could bring about dramatic changes in our lifetime alone. Ideally, for the better, but who knows? Where art is concerned, I will continue to be avidly interested in all things man-made. And in my pursuit of truth and self-betterment, I’ll take any enhancements I can get. Stay informed, do better by the people who matter to you, and I’ll talk to you again soon’ish.
tsvetoslav shalev 
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