Amon Adamantos

Even if you have seen the classic movie The Big Lebowski (1998), you may not recognise the quote I just put in the title there. I don’t blame you. Most of my friends (me included) have seen the movie while stoned, which allegedly makes remembering things a tiny bit harder. Let me quickly summarise the scene in which said quote appears: Jackie Treehorn, the antagonist behind the quote, is a wealthy pornographer who tries to explain to The Dude, the protagonist, how technology is changing his world. He is lamenting how amateur performers are ruining his business and that people don’t care about stories or feelings anymore in porn. Then, he goes on about how new technologies will make things even worse. The Dude shrugs it off by stating: «Well… I still jerk off manually.»

So, let’s talk AI because it’s all the rave right now. While many people seem excited about the new creative possibilities it provides, an increasing number of artists in all fields are rightfully worried about this development. AI has given people without skills the tools to create images, music and more. Just by typing a few words (so-called prompts). What used to take hours or even weeks to finish can be done within a few seconds. No matter where you’re standing on this issue, we should all admit that it is, in fact, very exciting. Even though it has already started erasing jobs and opportunities for an established creative workforce that depends on it.

But where does this lead?

Some people are talking about the so-called «democratisation of creativity». And listen, I am all for easy-to-use tools for people to create. I think it’s great that more people are empowered to create without the need for expensive equipment. And yet, the biggest and most important question, as with all things in life, is: Why? To be precise, in this particular case: Why does one need tools for say easier music production? Well, ultimately, to make (more) money with less effort. That’s all there is to it. Is that a bad thing? No, but yes. Nobody should blame anyone for wanting to escape the capitalistic rat race of life-draining, more and more dehumanising jobs that barely pay one’s bills. I get it.

Yet, on the other hand, we all must ask ourselves one thing: Does the addition of even more stuff in an endless sea of over-abundance make anyone’s life really better? Does it enrich us? How does art, which is created with the sole purpose of going viral in order to make one person some money, benefit us all?

Please don’t get me wrong: I am adamantly convinced that artists do not owe anything to anyone. Ever. But what is an artist? Some might argue that it requires a certain amount of skill to be rightfully called an artist. I disagree. An artist does not necessarily need the skill to produce, be that music or drawings or anything else, to be just that. What defines an artist is, in my humble opinion, the intention behind their work. Be that the intention to entertain or to shock, the intention of creating something they perceive as beautiful, perhaps the processing of one’s personal experiences or maybe just for some playful fun (Are you noticing how we seem to have forgotten about the importance of this one?). Yet, if the sole intention boils down to just making a few bucks, I am personally not convinced. Money is a means, not an end. If you don’t think that’s true, go ask any therapist who regularly deals with wealthy people.

Now, back to The Big Lebowski. In the past as well as in the present: If you want a glimpse at where technological advancement is leading us, you should dare to observe the realm of pornography. It may sound ununderstandably crude to most people, but next to the business of killing people, it has always been at the forefront of where humanity is heading as consumers. Porn has decided that the BluRay is the superior medium next to the HD-DVD, and it has advanced the digital streaming technology faster than anyone could have predicted. Without porn, there would be no Netflix today.

So, where are we right now? While there seems to be an endless plethora of professionally created content, that’s not really where the money is. The money lies in one thing: personal connection, or at least the illusion of it. Performers with no connection to big studios are making more money faster than any of the big stars a few decades ago. Much more money. And the funny thing is that seemingly an increasing number of people are not particularly paying for explicit content. Explicit content is available for free. Anytime, anywhere. What today’s consumers truly crave is connection and meaning. That’s also why a rising number of pornographic performers are leaning towards non-explicit streaming on platforms like Twitch, where they do mundane things like gaming, cooking or even folding laundry whilst talking about their rather uneventful day.

The truth of the matter is this: People love spending time with other people. AI is already able to provide this kind of entertainment today (see AI companions). But what ultimately makes people spend money is, in the knowledge that today’s performers are real people, the faint hope of one day meeting them. Human connection will, at least for the foreseeable future, be the main driver for people to spend their money. Not just when it comes to art or media. It’s this very fundamental need that represents the root of our desires.

That’s also why the feeble arguments by older generations about «music not being as good as it used to be in our days» are moot if we’re brutally honest. There has always been technically amazing music, and there has always been low-effort trash. Both have proven to have a right to exist. Because ultimately it wasn’t really the execution that mattered. It was the human connection and meaning the audience felt when experiencing it.

So, this is my advice to people who consider creating art with AI: It doesn’t matter how «good» your work looks or sounds. What matters is what it means and who you are. If it is success and fame that you seek: Be a real human being who has something to say that is worth listening to. And that can be done with just a pencil and a piece of paper or a cheap mini synthesiser and a mic you bought online. You don’t have to be an excellent writer, painter or musician. The most important part of creating art that will resonate with others is to experience real life. Be it good or ugly. To quote Hemingway: «Your work is good as long as it contains (human) truth.» And that’s something AI knows nothing about. ●

Amon Adamantos is a Swiss author. «Léthe», his first novel, was published in 2021. His first self-published novella «Pluto» was released in 2015. The main themes of his work are social issues and existentialism. His next novel «Coma» will be published in early 2025.