Cybernetic Forests

Cybernetic Forests delves into the complexities of artificial intelligence, data ethics, and the intersection of technology with human artistry and society. Through critique and analysis, it explores AI's limitations, ethical concerns, impacts on culture, and the role of human creativity in technology-driven environments.

Artificial Intelligence Data Privacy and Ethics Generative AI and Society Human Interaction with Technology AI in Art and Creativity Future of Technology and Society Environmental Impact of AI Copyright and Digital Ownership AI-generated Media and Misinformation Technological Infrastructure

The hottest Substack posts of Cybernetic Forests

And their main takeaways

Gaussian Pop: 14 Theses

119 implied HN points • 14 Apr 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Sound Text AI Music
  1. Gaussian Pop music is generated by AI models prompted by user searches, aimed to reduce streaming service costs and drive profits through listener engagement.
  2. Gaussian Pop creates music that satisfies the urge to consume quickly and easily, tailored for inattentiveness and quick skips.
  3. The rise of Gaussian Pop represents a shift in music consumption towards AI-generated content, leading to concerns about economic impacts on musicians and the potential alienation of shared music experiences.

Clip Art Doesn’t Come to Life

439 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Artificial General Intelligence
  1. AI creation myth focuses on gathering vast amounts of data to build models of human intelligence, but current AI applications have limitations in achieving true general intelligence.
  2. OpenAI's focus on vast data collection for AI development raises concerns about data privacy, data protection, and the actual utility of AI applications in solving significant real-world problems.
  3. Emphasizing targeted data collection for specific problem-solving can be more effective in AI development than relying on broad data sets aimed at achieving artificial general intelligence.

Capturing the Moment

119 implied HN points • 07 Apr 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Digital Art Photography Experimental Art Artificial Intelligence
  1. AI-generated images can lack emotional impact compared to human-created art, often resulting in an uncanny feeling rather than emotional connection.
  2. The history of art showcases a complex interplay between photography and painting, with AI-generated images adding another layer of complexity to this relationship.
  3. AI images challenge traditional notions of art by blurring the lines between painting and photography, presenting a new form of artistic expression.

New Work: Because of You

79 implied HN points • 11 Apr 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Ethics Technology Narrative Film
  1. The film "Because of You" explores the ethical implications of using human data without consent
  2. HeLa cells taken without Henrietta Lacks' consent played a crucial role in medical advancements
  3. The film dives into the complexities of identity, datafication, and generative AI

The Pace of Change Depends on Your Gaze

179 implied HN points • 24 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Commerce Infrastructure Governance Culture
  1. The speed of technological change is determined by where we focus our attention. Slowing down to understand the structures in place is key.
  2. AI hype often moves at the pace of fashion, while AI infrastructure evolves slowly. It's important to differentiate between new trends and substantial advancements.
  3. Governance, infrastructure, and culture play crucial roles in shaping AI's future. Participating in shaping these aspects can have a significant impact on the development and use of AI.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

The Absentees

119 implied HN points • 31 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Music AI Creativity Experimental Workshops
  1. Generative AI can inspire artists by showing them glimpses of new possibilities and creative combinations.
  2. Using AI in music creation can raise complex ethical concerns, such as issues of cultural appropriation and the impact on marginalized communities.
  3. Engaging with generative AI tools like Suno can lead to a disorienting yet intriguing creative process, challenging traditional notions of music-making and expression.

The Age of Noise

239 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Archives Humanity History Creativity
  1. The information age has transitioned into the age of noise, where data overload and automated systems shape our digital landscape.
  2. Artificial intelligence, while powerful, operates on abstractions of past data and predictions, emphasizing the need for human oversight and consciousness in decision-making.
  3. As artists and creators, it's essential to uphold meaning and context in the face of technological advancements, facilitating a collective understanding of our history and culture.

Some News

159 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Research AI Archives Memory
  1. Eryk Salvaggio has been named a 2024 Research Fellow with the Flickr Foundation, an organization preserving shared visual content for the future.
  2. Their research project will focus on AI-generated images and exploring Flickr's archives for training data.
  3. Eryk Salvaggio will be in London for a one-month residency in April 2024, looking forward to meeting people and sharing insights on their work.

What's Imagination For, Anyway?

279 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Technology AI Art Critique Ethics Community
  1. Art can either sell systems of power or support technocracy, highlighting the importance of using art to question and challenge technology rather than serve as a tool for propping up power.
  2. Imagination is often linked with AI, but it's crucial to move beyond speculative thinking to consider the real impacts and consequences of AI on our world today.
  3. Artists, when working with and against technology, can play a role in subverting and challenging powerful systems by acting as parasites, critiquing and revealing flaws instead of just showcasing technological prowess.

The Guild of St. Luke

99 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Art history Digital Art Creative Process
  1. Artists historically learned how to create art through hands-on practice and not just by observing art - a concept often misunderstood.
  2. The concept of learning from masters in art, as compared to how AI learns from training data, reveals interesting differences in approach and outcomes.
  3. The discussion around AI, art, and copyright brings up important points about data rights, labor values, and the need to support human artists in the digital age.

Sora: The Explorer

139 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Video Generation Applications
  1. New text-to-video models like Sora by OpenAI are pushing boundaries in video generation, offering longer and more diverse outputs compared to previous models.
  2. Sora's method involves training on a variety of video formats like widescreen, vertical, and square, leading to more efficiency and comprehensive use of video data for generation.
  3. One challenging aspect of Sora is its ability to create multiple synthetic scenarios that all lead to the same outcome, posing risks of misinformation and manipulation in media content.

LAION-5B, Stable Diffusion 1.5, and the Original Sin of Generative AI

279 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Generative AI Open Source
  1. The article discusses the implications of AI infrastructure and the lack of input from the right experts in the field.
  2. It highlights the presence of concerning content within AI training datasets like LAION-5B, raising ethical issues in generative AI systems.
  3. The author mentions being quoted in a Wired Magazine article about Generative AI in relation to Mickey Mouse, hinting at upcoming content on this topic.

Swimming in the Tensions

199 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Archives Data Cultural Diversity Ethics
  1. When creating images with AI, we are essentially building data visualizations based on training data, and this can lead to reproducing stereotypes found in the training data.
  2. Archives, like Wikimedia Commons, require curation and community engagement to ensure responsible and equitable representation in AI training datasets.
  3. There is a need to recognize the cultural and emotional value of images and data, and to approach AI training data as more than just facts, but as part of a larger social and cultural fabric.

SWIM

179 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Archives Memory Training Data AI Visual Culture
  1. SWIM is a piece that visualizes the relationship between archives, memory, and training data. It explores the impact of training AI models on images and the implications for memory and synthetic images.
  2. The artist behind SWIM finds creating pieces as a way to think through ideas that might not work well with words. The process often clarifies thoughts or raises questions that are hard to articulate.
  3. The deduction of memory through photography or AI analysis is highlighted in SWIM, where a swimmer dissolves into training data, shifting the remembrance process to a mechanized model and potentially losing the essence of being remembered.

Thoughts About a Mouse

199 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Copyright Generative AI Digital Infrastructure
  1. The concept of copyright, especially related to AI and generative technology, is facing significant challenges and debates as seen in the case of Mickey Mouse entering the public domain.
  2. The extension of copyright laws, influenced by powerful entities like Big Tech and Disney, has complicated the landscape of creative ownership, legal protection, and digital expression.
  3. There is a growing need for proactive data rights, decentralized digital infrastructure, and a reevaluation of the role of copyright in shaping the future of technology and community interactions.

The Opposite of Information

279 implied HN points • 19 Nov 23
  1. Images and captions play a significant role in shaping the narrative, even if the images themselves may not be manipulated.
  2. AI-generated images can easily be misinterpreted and contribute to misinformation, especially when distributed through various channels.
  3. Social media platforms prioritize engagement over genuine communication, filtering out nuanced content and amplifying controversial or sensational content.

What I Learned About AI in 2023

179 implied HN points • 17 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Environment Education Security Art
  1. Advancements in AI may not always lead to true improvement or problem-solving, as new technologies continue to replace previous ones without learning from past failures.
  2. There is evidence that AI may be making things worse, even in areas it is meant to excel in, such as ethics and safety, leading to a loss of expertise and rush to incorporate generative AI algorithms.
  3. AI models can have significant environmental impacts, using vast amounts of energy and water, highlighting the importance of developing more sustainable computational infrastructure and greener algorithms.

Underutilized.

279 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Data Analytics Digital Art Social media
  1. Generative AI is essentially a new form of Big Data, emphasizing pattern analysis to automate processes.
  2. The expansion of data is essential for the existence of generative AI tools, demonstrating a rebranding of data analytics into AI.
  3. The tech industry's focus on data monetization and predictive analytics has led to virtual interactions that distance us from real human connection and community.

A Generative Year: 2023

119 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Tech Policy Music Documentary Exhibition
  1. Subscribers to the newsletter tripled this year, showing growth and increased interest in the content.
  2. The author created and taught a course on AI Images, which was referenced by other educational institutions, showcasing influence in the field.
  3. The Algorithmic Resistance Research Group presented at the DEFCON 31 AI Village, demonstrating involvement in cutting-edge AI art and research.

The Hypothetical Image

199 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Technology Memory AI History Culture
  1. Diffusion models in AI strip images and rebuild them from noise, creating fictional, incomplete resurrection of images based on training data.
  2. The aestheticization of AI-generated images can erase the social meaning and historical significance of the original images, impacting memory and cultural value.
  3. The use of generative AI blurs the lines between reality and fiction, creating hypothetical images that remix past cultural forms without acknowledging the traumas or historical context they are built upon.

Conversations with Maverick Machines

59 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Cybernetics AI Technology Culture Music
  1. Gordon Pask made significant contributions to cybernetics, challenging the idea of black boxes and exploring the distinctions between conversations and communication.
  2. Artists like Eryk Salvaggio are inspired by Pask's work and aim to challenge technology orthodoxy, similar to Pask's approach to machine building.
  3. Events like Big Ideas in Art + Culture and Future of Arts, Culture & Technology Symposium offer platforms for exploring the intersection of technology and the arts, including discussions on AI, automation, and climate impact.

What was the GAN?

119 implied HN points • 26 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Digital Art Collage
  1. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) were innovative in AI art, generating images based on existing datasets and patterns.
  2. Artists using GANs had more control over their datasets, shaping the outputs with their own images and deciding what to include, unlike modern Diffusion models.
  3. Training and working with GANs was an experimental process, where artists had to understand the algorithm's perspective and engage in a technical dialogue to create art.

Structured Missingness

179 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Archives Digital
  1. Archives can only preserve what exists, leading to the structured missingness of information when elements are erased or decayed.
  2. In Machine Learning, the concept of 'structured missingness' refers to the impact of absent data on the neural network's connective contours.
  3. Diffusion models accelerate decay and obliterate information in images, creating patterns of missingness that merge the analog with the digital.

How Midjourney Reads a Mugshot

239 implied HN points • 27 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art
  1. Generative AI and Donald Trump's mugshot show how media signals and internet metrics influence image generation, highlighting the impact of feedback loops on visual media.
  2. Midjourney's prompts reveal how AI interprets and categorizes images based on stylistic markers like Sumatraism, showcasing a blend of aesthetic information and stereotypes.
  3. Algorithmic Hauntology warns about the dangers of automated pattern analysis rooted in biased archives, emphasizing the need to approach AI predictions and data processing with caution and awareness of historical influences.

Ideologies of Awe & AI Art at the MoMA

119 implied HN points • 22 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Data Visualization
  1. Refik Anadol's 'Unsupervised' art at the MoMA uses AI to visualize the MoMA's art archives in a unique way, offering a new perspective on data analytics and art
  2. Anadol's art piece juxtaposes the complexity and mystique of AI systems with the potential for human understanding and engagement, sparking discussions on the implications of AI in art and society
  3. Alternative models of AI art, like 'Anatomy of an AI System' and 'What Models Make Worlds', present critical perspectives that question the power dynamics and ethical implications of AI, contrasting with the awe-inspiring presentation of AI in Anadol's work

How to Learn Like Humans Do

199 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Artificial Intelligence Creative Process Automation
  1. AI is designed to learn and make art the way humans do, as AI models are replicas of the human brain.
  2. The process of creating art historically involved specific, defined steps that have been automated by AI, making art production more efficient and accessible.
  3. AI has streamlined the traditional artistic process, removing inefficiencies and making art creation more uniform and universally accessible.

The Future As Imagined

119 implied HN points • 10 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Generative AI Sci-fi
  1. Generative AI is built on data from the past, causing a reflection on how past values shape future predictions and societal structures.
  2. Science fiction has been a powerful ideological tool throughout history, influencing belief systems and social arrangements.
  3. Algorithmic Hauntology explores the relationship between past, present, and future through artistic interventions, resisting the reinforcement of harmful ideologies by AI systems.

The Algorithmic Resistance Research Group (ARRG!)

139 implied HN points • 13 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Digital Art Generative AI
  1. The Algorithmic Resistance Research Group (ARRG!) focuses on critiquing and analyzing AI systems, highlighting issues like data rights, stereotypes in AI output, ecological harms, political risks, and the impact of red teaming.
  2. ARPG! highlights the importance of challenging the logic of AI systems to avoid exploiting stereotypes, artist data rights, and push back against automated cultural production.
  3. Research showcased the use of Gaussian Noise Diffusion Loop to create abstract art, challenge content moderation tools, and explore the dynamics of AI-generated imagery.

Searching for Posthumanist AI

259 implied HN points • 26 Mar 23
🔬 Science AI Technology Ethics Philosophy Environment
  1. Large Language Models are anthropocentric and pose challenges to moving beyond human-centric ideologies
  2. Post-humanism emphasizes decentering humanity and focusing on the health of the planet and interconnected natural systems
  3. AI's current state reflects human biases and design decisions, and a posthumanist approach would require a shift towards technologies that facilitate listening and understanding the world outside ourselves

We Need To Come Back From The Future

199 implied HN points • 04 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Regulation Future Bias
  1. Norbert Wiener, the founder of cybernetics, emphasized the importance of studying feedback and response rather than seeking stability in systems.
  2. The discussions around AI and existential risks often prioritize hypothetical future scenarios over addressing present-day human suffering and feedback mechanisms.
  3. The culture of safety engineering in AI tends to focus on abstract future catastrophes, potentially overshadowing the immediate impacts on communities and individuals.

Cultural Red Teaming

99 implied HN points • 20 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Art Technology Events Critique Community
  1. Red Teaming in cybersecurity involves trusted allies acting as enemies to identify weaknesses and strengthen defenses.
  2. The Generative Red Team event focused on testing AI models by tasking players with unique challenges like eliciting misinformation from language models.
  3. Engaging with AI systems and addressing biases requires a more nuanced and community-involved approach beyond Red Teaming events.

How to Read an AI Image

379 implied HN points • 02 Oct 22
🔬 Science AI Data Analysis Image Generation Bias Art
  1. AI-generated images are informative about the underlying dataset and the human decisions shaping it.
  2. When analyzing AI images, it's crucial to consider the dataset's cultural, social, economic contexts, and how they influence the output.
  3. A methodology involving creating sample sets, content analysis, database exploration, and connotative analysis can help interpret the underlying biases and limitations in AI-generated images.

Cinema Without Cameras

179 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Cinema Technology Storytelling Visual Effects Experimental
  1. AI technology like Gen-1 from RunwayML is enabling new possibilities in generative video creation by focusing on the structure and content of videos.
  2. The concept of 'No-Camera Cinema' explores storytelling without traditional cameras, embracing AI-sourced images to reshape narratives and challenge storytelling norms.
  3. Older technologies like Magic Lanterns and experimental films provide inspiration for reimagining cinema with AI, showcasing the potential for new storytelling techniques and visual explorations.

Sarah Palin Forever

159 implied HN points • 23 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Cinema Deepfakes
  1. The story 'Sarah Palin Forever' explores the impact of political environments and media ecosystems on shaping identities.
  2. The concept of deepfakes and how they can be used as tools for satire and storytelling is discussed.
  3. The power of images and words in media is highlighted, emphasizing how narratives shape our perceptions and understandings.

Friction Creates the Energy

59 implied HN points • 01 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Technology Art Music Literature
  1. Friction is essential in shaping technology deployment and impacts, reminding us that social processes influence design choices and technological outcomes.
  2. The 'Story & Code' program explored AI-augmented tools and workflows, providing insights useful for artists, curators, educators, and audiences interested in AI art and ethics.
  3. The song 'Discommunication' touches on the theme of friction creating energy, relevant to discussions on labor shaping AI deployment and the societal impact of innovation.

Call for Writing: Models for Making Distance.

59 implied HN points • 27 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Activism Resistance AI
  1. The call for writing is about seeking contributions for a print zine called Models for Making Distance.
  2. Contributions could include manifestos, art instructions, performances, literary works, and propaganda that explore distancing from algorithmic order.
  3. The project is organized by the Algorithmic Resistance Research Group, a collective focused on critical exploration and creative resistance to algorithmic culture.

Diagram of an AI Image System

119 implied HN points • 21 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Data Media Systems
  1. There is no definite definition of an AI image, as there are differing views on what AI and images truly are.
  2. Understanding different levels of AI image systems, such as data, interface, image, and media, is essential to navigating challenges within these systems.
  3. The intersection of AI images with human culture and media can perpetuate stereotypes and impact creators, leading to concerns about theft and ethical considerations.

In Defense of Human Senses

119 implied HN points • 30 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Human experience Data Analysis AI Art
  1. Human perception of images is deeply intertwined with personal experiences and emotions, shaping how images are interpreted and associated with memories.
  2. Creating art involves a fusion of individual lived experiences and learned skills over time, contrasting with the quick generation of images by AI devoid of personal experiences.
  3. AI images are structured based on categories and datasets, emphasizing the need for artists to negotiate these categories and infuse individualized interpretations into the process.

Communication in the Presence of Noise

39 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🎶 Music Experimental AI Critique Resistance
  1. The new album "Communication in the Presence of Noise" by The Organizing Committee is a blend of AI experimentation and antifascist critique in music.
  2. The project aims to start conversations about AI early, challenging the perception of music created by machines as opposed to humans.
  3. The Organizing Committee's music serves as a form of resistance against unregulated technological optimism, applying critical data studies to subvert computational ideologies.