There’s a scene in the movie AI (2001) where the robot boy eats spinach at the dinner table when he’s not supposed to. It’s haunting and I’m reminded of it lately as I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about AI and technology (short list below). I remember watching that movie 20 years ago and crying so hard throughout it. What is it to be human - to be ‘real’ as the robot boy in the film so desperately wishes for.
With the exponentially fast rise of ChatGPT and the proliferation of AI generated texts in what seems like weeks, days, seconds, we suddenly live in a world where the origins of the written word is subject to suspicion. I imagine a dystopian future (or present?!) where we scavenge and hunt around on the internet and our inboxes trying to decipher real texts from computer generated ones.
I think about parallels in the physical world. We already live in cities, towns and virtual marketplaces where generic 3rd wave (are we on 4th now?) coffee shops and businesses are generated with capital shrouded in VC mystery. These businesses are stiff and sanitized - and safe in every way. They are powered by data and algorithms that know our desires and whims and cater concisely to them. (I was traveling through the new Moynihan station this spring and was simultaneously delighted and horrified by the offerings there.)
I imagine this will play out in some future where some of us are also hunting for real food, real businesses… the dirty vegetarian restaurant of my college days, the grimy punk coffee shops, etc. I want things to be so good and so weird and so I give you coyote cafe every Sunday. You never know what you’re going to get, it’s not sanitized and you don’t really have to pay for it. The future I want to live in!
The Coyote Cafe is back May 14th serving farm lunches for donation. Open Sundays from 12-4 with tours held at 2pm in Esperance, NY.
RSVPs aren’t required but ! they do help our kitchen staff & harvesting crew plan for the best lunch possible. Let us know if you plan on coming - we can’t wait to feed you!
No comments:
Post a Comment