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Paws, Reflect, Repeat — A Meta-Poetic Cat-astrophe
A grotesque mockery of what it is to be a cat in the age of the internet
I have never been more reluctant to write a blog post about this, but as the worst sort of consequences ensuing excuse goes: “Someone told me it would be a good idea.” Is this what happens to our creativity when shame takes over our motivation?
This will be shameful, no matter how we approach the ongoing debate surrounding AI’s role in creative fields, especially music and poetry. Nick Cave describes AI-generated art as “a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human.” I might say, reluctantly, it is, first and foremost, a grotesque mockery of what it is to be a cat in the age of the internet.
Recently, a friend — an ardent Nick Cave fan and staunch AI skeptic — sent me a poem by Brian Bilston. A piece apparently inspired by a cat walking across a keyboard. Oh, why not? In a burst of creative fervour (or perhaps sheer boredom and a need to stretch), the feline had sauntered across the keyboard, producing a string of random characters.