By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 21/09/2026The novelty of that experience drove me to grade the machine's output on a curve: "The wonder is not that the dancing bear dances well, it is that the bear dances at all." But with repetition, the stimulus has regressed to the mean. These outputs have an unconvincing lack of texture. 1311
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 21/09/2026The smoothness of AI-generated prose and media makes it unbearably banal. It's hack. To the extent that AI still surprises me, the surprise is about how much smoothness there is in our real world. 1321
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 21/09/2026The fact that AI can use statistical prediction to answer questions or carry on conversations tells us something important about how regular our real world is. It doesn't prove that statistical prediction is the same thing as understanding: pluralistic.net/2026/09/18/s...pluralistic.netPluralistic: Textured (18 Sep 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow 1396