John MaedaOn January 1, 2001 I had an exhibition in Tokyo entitled “Post Digital” to show how art and design could seamlessly fuse with computing technology. Twenty years later I have noticed how the poetic ideal of being “post” digital is actually a neverending road with no end in sight. I realize now that is not a question of needing to move past digital’s unrelenting progress — it is more the challenge of attempting to venture beyond where it has taken us. And seeking to guess where it will continue to go, interminably.
Title: Creativity Crisis During the 4th Industrial Revolution
AI’s recent shift from being both scarce and useless to becoming as easily available as oxygen, and equally essential to modern life, is nothing short of a miracle. And with all miracles come disruptions of the status quo that seeks to protect what we hold the most dearest: our creativity.
So I’m sad to report that the long battle going on since the 1960s between digital technology and traditional art and design has ended with the AI of the “new 20s” emerging as the winner. What’s the 4th Industrial Revolution’s first casualty? Human creativity as we once knew it. But don’t mourn its loss yet.
A new kind of human-powered computational crearivity is emerging that is as “dataful” as it is beautiful. It not only entertains or persuades, but it also will let you rethink entire businesses. See you there!
