Sober Philosophy: AI & Art (Huyen presents, AZF)

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has (for most people) moved from an abstract novelty into a pervasive cultural force. AI illustrations appear in advertising campaigns, background music on streaming platforms is often AI-generated, and algorithmic tools now assist with everything from screenplay drafts to gallery installations. The boundary between “human-made” and “machine-assisted” art feels increasingly porous, and yet our cultural vocabulary around authorship, intention, and creativity has not fully caught up.

Some see AI art as a continuation of older technological shifts: photography challenging painting, sampling reshaping music, or digital tools transforming design. Others view it as a system that recombines existing cultural artifacts at scale, raising questions about originality, labor, and ownership. If art has historically been tied to human struggle, biography, or inner life, what happens when the creator has no lived experience at all? If art is created on presented on "false" or "insincere" terms, is it invalid?

Is AI merely another instrument, like a camera or synthesizer? Or does it represent a deeper shift in how culture is produced, a shift that might redefine what we mean by creativity itself?

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(below are some videos for your optional, casual perusal)

AI-generated music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrAVskphEJg&list=PL3XnF0OFIKmSYiYuvja6KCvV4e-TR41-a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUDomSJh3WQ&list=PLo4CUp9d1Sp-2_umBLsrdihu5lFm11xJd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4lbENxOOxc&list=PLKx6KGTD3p4oNIeOPUctS7H3zT4eehu-L

AI-generated videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbgfUtQ5lcg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NptAC_6J-ho (both visual and audio were AI-generated, and released by Warner Music)
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(SUGGESTED) POTENTIAL QUESTIONS:

-What makes something “art”? Is intention required, or can meaning emerge purely from audience interpretation?

-Where do you draw the line between tool and author?

-Are there aspects of creativity that AI cannot replicate, e.g. lived experience, suffering, risk? Does knowing that something is AI-generated change how deeply we allow ourselves to feel moved by it, or is that just bias?

-If a human curates prompts, edits outputs, and selects results, who is the artist: the person, the model, or the dataset? Are we entering an era where curation becomes more important than creation? Is the curator the new artist?

-Historically, many art forms once dismissed as “low-brow” later became elevated. Could AI art potentially follow a similar trajectory?

-Is resistance to AI art about protecting artists, preserving meaning, or can it simply boil down to discomfort with technological change?

-AI models are trained on vast archives of past human work. Is AI art thus a form of collective memory, or is it merely an aesthetic recycling that risks cultural stagnation?

-AI could one day be able to create art perfectly tailored for your personal, individual consumption, algorithmically designed to fit your exact preferences. How would this be problematic, or not?

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the meeting at 7:30 pm sharp at the mezzanine above the lobby of the Graduate Hotel in the University District: 4507 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

AMAZON FORMAT (AZF):
At the beginning of the meeting we will take turns reading lines from the above texts aloud.

OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter describes their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into its main format.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT (TDRF>5):
If there are more than 5 people present we will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they dimply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.