No matter how advanced generative AI technology gets, celebrated science fiction writer Ted Chiang firmly believes it lacks the essence to craft genuine art.
Chiang, a towering figure in the science fiction realm and the brilliant mind behind the novella “Story Of Your Life” (later adapted into the blockbuster “Arrival”), has also shared profound thoughts on AI in The New Yorker. He highlights the potential risks and limitations of these technologies.
Chiang’s recent critique in a thought-provoking article argues that the achievements of large language models (LLMs) are still more hypothetical than practical. He suggests that generative AI, to date, has primarily served to diminish our expectations – of the literature we read and of ourselves when we write for an audience. He describes this technology as inherently dehumanizing, as it underestimates our true nature as beings capable of creating and understanding meaning.
Even with potential improvements in AI, Chiang maintains that their outputs will not qualify as art. Defining art, although challenging, is crucial for Chiang who believes that art is born from a series of decisions, and that engaging in the act of communication with an audience is fundamental to the creative process.
“We are all influenced by our predecessors, yet it is through our interactions with others that we infuse the world with meaning,” he writes. “This is a feat that no autocomplete algorithm can achieve, and it’s important to remember this truth,” concludes Chiang.