In recent months we’ve seen AI infiltrate every area of the entertainment industry. This dismays me because we need to cherish true creativity…not try to automate it.
Welcome to the 138th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a simple living challenge for the week. Along with thoughts on AI-generated entertainment content, this week’s edition looks at why booze-free drinks are so expensive, how to chop onions with no tears, and how a solar panel mural revitalized an aging building.
On my mind this week: True creativity can’t be automated
I’ve long been a Disney fan. Reading an article saying CEO Bob Iger is “really excited about AI” and its potential to let Disney+ viewers create and consume short-form AI videos was a big disappointment.
I’m sure Walt Disney—one of the biggest creative geniuses the world has ever known—is rolling in his grave. For decades, Disney has been synonymous with creativity. Now, along with other corporate giants, Disney is selling out to the cheapness and laziness of AI. Why pay humans to create something terrific when you can just let an AI bot do it instead?
AI is infiltrating all areas of entertainment
I’m not against AI. If used appropriately, it has the potential make a positive difference in many areas of our lives. But it dismays me to see AI infiltrating every area of the entertainment industry, because I believe true creativity is something we need to cherish, not automate.
First, there was AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood. More recently, AI-generated “pop star” Xania Monet hit the Billboard charts. And a recent report from Sky News indicates a third of music uploads are AI generated, and 97% of listeners don’t know the difference.
Ultimately, this proliferation of automated content hurts creators—especially new artists trying to break into any kind of creative industry. I admit to being leery of books written by first-time authors. Did they really write it? Or did they have a little help from AI? The same goes for new music.
Sadly, all this AI-generated entertainment is a symptom of a world where we value quantity over quality. A world where we’ve lost all respect for true creativity.
You see, true creativity takes time and dedication. And our world—especially the corporate world—lacks patience.
The benefits of creativity
Personally, when I enjoy any form of creative output, I’m filled with appreciation for those who worked hard to create it. I would feel cheated if I learned something had been created by an AI bot.
By taking the easy way out, we’re missing the point and all the benefits of creative pursuits. Output matters, but so does the human act of creating.
Anyone who loses themselves in any kind of creative pursuit has likely experienced flow state. Pioneered by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, it’s a state of total engagement where you lose all track of time. Very Well Mind reports flow state has been linked to improved ability to regulate emotions, increased happiness, higher intrinsic motivation, and enhanced creativity and performance.
Sitting down to write, or pouring my heart into singing a song, fills me with joy and a feeling of accomplishment that I’d miss out on if I took the easy way out and asked Chat GPT to do it for me.
Because true creativity is worth the time and effort, and the wait!
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Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- Six months after completing my last course, I finally got my Plain Language certificate in the mail from Simon Fraser University.
- On Thursday, I went out for sushi lunch with a former co-worker. We had a terrific catch up.
- Three of the books I had put on hold at the library came in this week. I’d better get busy reading!
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
Why your booze-free drink is so expensive
I love that there are so many alcohol-free beverage options available these days, but I’ve often wondered why the booze-free versions cost almost as much as their high octane counterparts.
A CBC news report this week explained that making non-alcoholic beers and ciders uses the same ingredients and process as regular beer. A method called arrested fermentation cools the beer to near freezing to stop fermentation. This process requires precision to preserve flavour and aroma. That’s what costs money—not the alcohol.
The same goes for mocktails. Removing alcohol means producers have to build flavour complexity from scratch, often using botanicals and natural extracts that cost more than alcohol.
More onions, fewer tears
You may love onions, but not the tears you get when chopping them.
A new study says using a sharp knife and chopping slowly reduces the atomization of onion droplets. This is the trick to tear-free onion chopping.
(Source: CTV News)
Edmonton building features world’s largest solar panel mural
A 12-storey apartment building in Edmonton, Alberta has transformed its façade into the world’s largest mural made from solar panels.
The beautiful mural showcases artwork by Indigenous artist Lance Cardinal. The 267 kilowatts of clean electricity it generates is expected to save residents and owners around $80,000 annually—roughly equivalent to the monthly rent from seven additional units—after year five.
(Source: Happy Eco News)
This week’s simple living challenge – Unfollow influencers
Simplifying life is a big part of living more intentionally. With that in mind, I kicked off the year with 52 ways to simplify your life this year, including a downloadable checklist of weekly tasks.
This week’s challenge is to unfollow influencers who are being paid to get you to buy things you really don’t need.
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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So interesting about mocktails and NA beer. And I bet they have to be more careful since you are sober and care about taste. Fascinating! Love all that I learn from you, Michelle!
Ha ha. That’s a good point about being sober. I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks for reading, Wynne.
I think there will be a push back against the same-ness of AI. People will get tired of it.
Apparently, post-secondary institutions are considering returning to long-hand written exams and assignments. Can you imagine, students having to learn how to write and read in cursive to be able to write their work comfortably? What a turn-around that would be!
That would be a turnaround, but it may be the only way to circumvent cheating.
I feel similarly with AI. I think it *could* be useful when leveraged as a tool, but *will* be harmful when used as a crutch… and I think most are using it as a crutch. Dr. Zeus was a sketch animation artist at Nintendo when he suffered his brain injury, so several long-time friends in the industry are being displaced. It sounds silly, but I think it’s what you’re getting at: there is heart and soul, sweat and tears to go into creating art, and AI can’t recreate that.
Yes, that’s exactly it Erin! No matter how smart AI gets, you can’t automate that human element and the passion that goes into creative endeavours.
Oh my goodness…the Edmonton solar panel/mural…hubby Paul will be very intrigued, Michelle! Thank you for sharing…and Happy Sunday, my friend. 😊❤️😊
It really is beautiful! Did you click the link and look at the picture of the mural? I love how the artist incorporated the symbols of Indigenous and Chinese culture. Happy Sunday to you, too, my dear! 🤗
Yes! Especially the full screen shot of the whole building. So cool! Paul will love this.
😊❤️😊 So good!