The Reality Paradox

What is "real?"

These days, it feels like it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between that which is the result of human creativity, and that which is AI, in some form.

We "battle" against AI created content here, because Steemit is a "proof of brain" venue, but how readily can we recognize it, as the technology gets better and better?

Earlier today I was listening to music on YouTube, and got quite a ways into what was in some "auto selected" playlist before I sensed something being "not quite right" about what I was listening to... so I paused to check.

Indeed, I was about 20 minutes into a music set — quite good, I might add — that turned out to be part of three hours of AI generated music and imagery.

I continued listening — and watching the "drone's eye" video of landscapes — for another ten minutes, before going in search of something else.

It wasn't that I was out to "find fault" in the AI, it was more a case of the defects presenting themselves, for example in the way periodically the drone would seem to fly through solid trees, in an unnerving way... reminding me that I was looking at something auto-generated.

I'm still not entirely sure how I recognize AI generated music anymore... perhaps it's the fact that it comes across as too uniform to be the creation of a human being that gets me. We humans tend to be imperfect in what we do, even when we are quite expert at something.

On paper you'd think we'd strive for perfection, yet perfection actually ends up sounding UNnatural, in some way.

And yet? I expect within another generation or two, nobody will be able to put their finger on the difference between human music and mechine music; between the human written word and AI written word.

I find myself thinking about a future where we humans become spacefaring to the point that we make the decades-long crossings between stars, and our entertainment will come in the form of music generated on the spot by the ship's AI, which will also give us new fully written novels in a matter of seconds, so we have something to read during downtime.

"Write me a novel in the style of Ernest Hemingway," we might ask, and we will get 400 pages of prose that reads like a new Heningway book, but isn't.

Makes me wonder whether or not human creativity will live on. And in what form.

I still struggle a little with the advancement of AI... mostly because I want to know why we have AI that creates writing, art and music... but I don't have AI that's doing my dishes and folding my laundry!

That would surely be more useful, right?

When I think about it, it's actually a sad reflection of the fact that we are trying to get AI to do the things it would be easier for us to cheat at — with a purpose — like writing, art and music... because who "cheats" at doing laundry and dishes?

That's about us, not about AI.

Think about it!

Thanks for coming by, and have a great Halloween Friday!

How about YOU? Can yopu readily tell AI from human music, writing, art? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2025.10.30 23:56 PDT
x1007/2241