It is an undeniable fact that the advent of the Internet has had a profound impact on our lives, transforming the way in which we communicate, access information, and conduct business; dramatically altering the fabric of society, providing billions of people with unprecedented access to knowledge and enabling the exchange of ideas on a global scale. Prior to this, knowledge was often centralized and controlled by a select few individuals and institutions. Technology has disrupted this dynamic, allowing information to flow freely and creating an abundance of knowledge in our daily lives. This proliferation of information has led to some amazing developments in economic development and human progress.
In a world of abundance, curation is king. When one has everything available to them at their fingertips, the only thing left to do is to choose. Most people are drawn to their own niche interests and the part of the internet that caters and generates content towards those interests, providing many the opportunity to pursue something one would never have thought possible before, because there was never a perpetual audience in search of more content, and especially one that happened to match with someone’s interests. People already aggregate their news through Google or Apple, subscribe to newsletters for domain specific information, and listen to podcasts to keep up with their favorite topics. It’s curated all the way down.
However, this has also led to some interesting externalities characterized by a persistent stream of content and news, mostly in part due to the advertisement driven revenue model of publications and social media. The saturation has resulted in a state of information overload, where one feels jaded and numb to the majority of information they encounter. As a consequence, it feels common to have become desensitized to this constant flow and have developed a diminished capacity for sustained attention, engendering a sense of ennui with the content to which we are exposed to. There also exists a natural inclination towards the instant gratification of information and answers, which can result in a paucity of critical thinking. In the absence of sufficient time for research and verification, we are more prone to accepting information at face value, thereby perpetuating the risk of misinformation and eroding the credibility of authoritative institutions.
Now with the advent of Generative AI and widespread availability of powerful AI content generation tools, such as GPT-3 and Stable Diffusion, I believe this phenomenon will be exacerbated to unimaginable levels. The accessibility of these tools, combined with the aforementioned saturation of information, means that making realistic content will become cheap and accessible to all. These tools have the potential to result in an exponential increase in the amount of content produced, blurring the line between human and machine-generated content and making it increasingly difficult to determine the veracity of information. The commoditization of content creation that will result from this shift will have far-reaching implications for the job market, potentially rendering many traditional content creation roles obsolete. In particular, I believe the democratization of these tools will result in a new era of abundance and creativity in the world of movies, video games, and other creative entertainment experiences. This shift will result in a wider range of creators having access to powerful technology, enabling them to generate more sophisticated and realistic experiences that are beyond what is currently possible, truly blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Moreover, a more inclusive and diverse creative landscape can flourish, as individuals from a wider range of backgrounds and communities will be able to create and share their own unique experiences. This will contribute to a more vibrant and dynamic creative ecosystem, one that is characterized by a greater diversity of perspectives and experiences.
This increasing sophistication and realism of AI-generated content will raise a number of intriguing questions about the nature of creativity and the meaning of originality. As machines become increasingly capable of producing content that is more engaging, entertaining, and emotionally resonant than anything that humans can hope to produce, it will become increasingly difficult to determine what constitutes a truly human-generated work of art. The notion that creativity is a uniquely human attribute, intimately tied to our ability to experience emotions and express ourselves, will be called into question, raising interesting threads about what it means to be human and our place in a world increasingly dominated by machines.
And I believe in this new world, more than ever, curation would be one of the most important skills to have. The ability for one to effectively filter through the infinite ocean of data and content on the internet, to find the few that one would genuinely enjoy or improve their life in some way, will be crucial. And it is not just about finding the right things, but also about evaluating and synthesizing data, and presenting it in a meaningful and accessible way. It requires a deep understanding of the specific knowledge landscape for the task trying to be achieved, an appreciation for the importance of veracity and accuracy, and the development of critical thinking skills. Maybe those will be the only kinds of jobs left, but then again someone will probably figure out a loss function for that problem as well.
I was having a hard time coming up with a decent conclusion for this and asked ChatGPT and here’s what it said:
In conclusion, the proliferation of information and the rise of AI-generated content are transforming the world as we know it. While technology has enabled us to access knowledge and information in ways that were previously impossible, it has also created a state of information overload, where we are exposed to a constant stream of content and news. With the advent of AI-generated content, it's becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is real and what is fake, and the line between human and machine-generated content is becoming blurred. But, hey, let's not forget the silver lining here! As AI continues to take over our jobs, curation will become the new king of the job market. The ability to effectively filter through the ocean of information on the internet and present it in a meaningful and accessible way will be a valuable and in-demand skill. So, in a way, AI is doing us a favor by freeing us up from our content creation roles and allowing us to focus on what truly matters: curation! So, let's embrace this new world with open arms and a critical eye. Who knows, we might just discover that curation is the perfect job for us humans after all. And, let's be honest, with AI taking over, we'll have plenty of time to perfect our curation skills! Haha
