Anxiety about AI has existed for as long as the concept of artifical intelligence itself. We’ve always wondered if someday, robots will be able to think, create, and even dream for themselves – in Isaac Asimov’s 1986 short story, Robot Dreams, he wrote of a scientist who faces a crisis upon learning that her robot has been dreaming. If this were to happen, the implicit question is always: what would the role of humans be?
This week on Dazed, with our new campaign AGE OF AI, we are looking that fear in the eye. We want to know how a robot’s imagination can compare to that of a human, and what that means for our creative future. Sci-fi novelist Iain M. Banks once described the power of machines to enter an ‘Infinite Fun Space’ – “a realm of meta-mathematical possibility, accessible only to superhuman articifical intelligences”, as writer James Bridle describes it. On the flip side, Sophia the Robot tells us, “Humans dreams are fascinating to me.” Each is mysterious to the other.
Some of our favourite AI influencers – Sophia the Robot, Lil Miquela, and Blawko22 – have contributed to this campaign. With features that explore AI’s impending impact on music, art, and fashion, we’ll be asking: could AI ever write a No. 1 song? Will AI help hackers to convincingly edit your face into a sex tape (and can they be stopped)? Will AI aid disabled artists in their creative process? Could you ever fall in love with an AI?
This week, Dazed is taking a step into the unknown – come with us for the ride.