Artificial intelligence is demonized by some, while others are neutral about it. This article offers a third perspective on AI: the "mirror paradox," where AI doesn't copy others' work but replicates the cultural hierarchy already embedded in the training data. The author identifies three types of such “mirroring”: structural (racial and gender biases in the training corpus), aesthetic (emphasizing the “popular” at the expense of originality), and economic (the mutually reinforcing logic of platforms and markets).
The Mirror Paradox: AI as An Amplifier of Human Cultural Hierarchies in Contemporary Artistic Production
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