The gen AI Kool-Aid tastes like eugenics
· The Verge
Like many people, director Valerie Veatch was intrigued when OpenAI first released its Sora text-to-video generative AI model to the public in 2024. Though she didn't fully understand the technology, she was curious about what it could do, and she saw that other artists were building online communities to share their new AI creations. The hope of connecting with people drew Veatch into the AI space, but once she was there, she was shocked to see how often the technology would generate images dri
In 2024, director Valerie Veatch was drawn into the world of generative AI when OpenAI released its Sora text-to-video model. Like many, she was captivated by the possibilities of this new technology and the vibrant online communities forming around AI-generated art. However, her initial excitement quickly turned to disillusionment when she witnessed the disturbing prevalence of racist and sexist imagery produced by the AI, often without explicit prompts. This troubling reality led Veatch to step back from her own experiments with generative AI and instead focus on creating a documentary titled "Ghost in the Machine."
The film aims to explore the historical context and underlying ideologies that have shaped the development of generative AI. Rather than simply highlighting the potential benefits that proponents of AI often tout, Veatch's documentary delves into the darker aspects of the technology's evolution. She emphasizes the importance of understanding how deeply ingrained biases from the past continue to influence the outputs of current AI systems. Veatch argues that it is crucial for society to confront the uncomfortable truths about the technology’s roots and its implications.
During a recent conversation, Veatch expressed her frustration with the term "artificial intelligence," which she believes is often misused as a marketing tool. She pointed out that this phrase, coined by computer scientist John McCarthy in 1956, has taken on a life of its own, obscuring the real issues at play in the AI landscape. By dissecting the language and concepts surrounding AI, Veatch hopes to foster a more informed dialogue about the technology and its societal impacts.