Something old

Something from the archive worth (re)reading:

I am not bringing up The NeverEnding Story so we can all relive the shared trauma of Artax (the horse) sinking into the Swamp of Sadness. Rather, I analogise The Nothing to AI; one is a formless, ominous and all-consuming entity swallowing the fantasy world of Fantasia, the other is tech hype cycle fuelled by scraping and taking as much of the free and open internet it can. Two years on an the analogy still stands. The Nothing is a void created by humanity’s loss of imagination, hopes and dreams, manifesting as despair, disillusionment and apathy – and so is AI!

Is AI The Nothing from The NeverEnding Story?
As the current wave of generative AI continues to invade business, community and our private lives, the arts and culture are trying to work out how to make sense of the affordances, complexities and realities of new computational practices and artificial intelligence.
elliottbledsoe.wtfElliott Bledsoe

Something new

Something published recently:

This time last week the Governor-General announced the 2026 Australia Day Honours List. There are 680 people on it, 126 of which were recognised for services to arts and culture. Look through the honourees and you will see it reinforces a common divide in the arts: working artists and volunteers with choirs, community theatres, historical societies, local arts groups and other community organisations tended to be in the lower tiers (Medals and Member-level honours) and the higher tiers of Companion and Officer of the Order were made up of Board members and benefactors of state galleries, state libraries, state and major theatres, symphonies and orchestras and other major arts organisations.