We treat generative AI like magic… and magic systems have rules. When creating fantasy worlds, writers think about who can use magic, how magic is performed, what it’s able to do, what its constraints are, what the source of magic is, and what it costs. I’m applying a bit of reverse worldbuilding to the real world to extrapolate the rules of the AI magic system.
Who can use AI magic: magic users pay to use corporate AI magic systems. Those who are wealthy and tech savvy enough can host their own local model. Free magic use is mostly limited to corporate largesse ultimately intended to build magic dependency.
How AI magic is cast: AI spells are cast with written text input through a digital interface. Spells are refined and recast until the outcome satisfies (spells produce different results every time they are cast).
What AI magic can do: AI spells can produce combinations of words that are interpreted as writing, code-like material that sometimes runs as code, images that resemble art, and video that resembles reality. It can create imitations of specific human creators’ work, as well as individual’s speech and appearance. It can also mimic human conversation for a span of time before the spell dissipates. AI magic is near instantaneous, allowing people without technical skills to produce text and graphics faster than writers and artisans.
What AI magic cannot do: AI magic cannot produce the same outcome twice, nor act upon existing conjurations, instead casting spells anew each time. AI magic itself cannot reference sources, though may be used in tandem with other tools that enable citation (though with questionable accuracy). AI magic cannot reason or write, but its conjurations may create the illusion of intelligence through their statistical consistency with written language use.
The source of AI magic: AI magic derives from statistical analysis of human-created art, writing, speech, music, and video, classified and sorted by human laborers in low-cost geos.
The cost of AI magic: Resource costs of AI magic include power, water, and high-end chips, which themselves require specialized manufacturing and rare earth minerals.
Social costs include the reinforcement of racism and sexism, as well as mental harm to AI trainers assessing inputs to the magic system.
Societal costs include job elimination and job intensification as positions able to be reproduced in part by magic are eliminated and that magic work is shifted to the remaining workers.
Information costs include the destruction of the online publishing incentive structure / information commons, leading to more paywalled content; an increase in low-quality material, which makes finding accurate information harder; as well as the danger of political propaganda by poisoned magic systems.
Individual user costs include critical thinking skills, writing abilities, and patience for conversing with humans.
Further reading:
The new magic of AI vs. the old magic of artists by Kening Zhu
See also:
Made an 88×31 button, prompted by Zachary Kai (look at 