I’ve thought a lot about why “corporate Memphis” sucks so much. I think it’s because it comes across as incredibly ingenuine. It communicates a Utopian world free of race and gender gaps, which is demonstrably not the case in reality. In a way, the AI art is more genuine. “We don’t give a fuck, neither do you, buy our stuff”. I feel it speaks to an overall nihilism with the world. I think it’s a part of the disillusionment with the “liberal elite” that we find on the left (and honestly, probably the right too). Corporate Memphis is Nancy Pelosi. AI art is JD Vance. The fact we’re yearning for the former shows how terrible the latter really is.
In my opinion, both Memphis and AI art serve one purpose - to discourage people from thinking for themselves, just in different ways.
Memphis tries to do that by being so inoffensive it becomes background noise of unrealistic features and colors that strip any personality away.
AI art is in turn like art of any authoritarian regime - it must convey a propaganda message, and it should do it so clearly, that even simplest organism can get the message, so yeah - the “art” part is basically lost in the process. And with AI you have a tool to do just that - machine to create amalgamation of images beholder has already seen, essentially also becoming a background noise.
I’ve thought a lot about why “corporate Memphis” sucks so much. I think it’s because it comes across as incredibly ingenuine. It communicates a Utopian world free of race and gender gaps, which is demonstrably not the case in reality. In a way, the AI art is more genuine. “We don’t give a fuck, neither do you, buy our stuff”. I feel it speaks to an overall nihilism with the world. I think it’s a part of the disillusionment with the “liberal elite” that we find on the left (and honestly, probably the right too). Corporate Memphis is Nancy Pelosi. AI art is JD Vance. The fact we’re yearning for the former shows how terrible the latter really is.
In my opinion, both Memphis and AI art serve one purpose - to discourage people from thinking for themselves, just in different ways.
Memphis tries to do that by being so inoffensive it becomes background noise of unrealistic features and colors that strip any personality away.
AI art is in turn like art of any authoritarian regime - it must convey a propaganda message, and it should do it so clearly, that even simplest organism can get the message, so yeah - the “art” part is basically lost in the process. And with AI you have a tool to do just that - machine to create amalgamation of images beholder has already seen, essentially also becoming a background noise.
Hmm good analysis