Random thought of the day…

 Recently I watched American Graffiti on TV. I had not seen the movie since it first came out in 1973.

 For those not familiar with the movie, it takes place in 1962 and follows four teenagers in LA as they experience their last night before heading off to their next chapters at college or other pursuits. It takes place in a single night and captures a great slice of what life was like in 1962. When it was released it was popular as it offered a nostalgic return to a very different time in the US. By 1973, the world had changed drastically. The music, the clothing, the hairstyles, automobiles, and attitudes had evolved greatly. The Vietnam War also had a major effect on the American psyche.

 But what struck me the most is that it was only 11 years between 1962 and 1973. If we were to make the same movie today, that would be the equivalent of setting it in 2013. However, the world would look virtually identical to 2024. Popular culture and artistic styling seem frozen in time.

 Yes, the iPhone is now in double-digits, we are in season 105 of Real Housewives, we have a few more Marvel characters, and Taylor Swift is now a billionaire. But there are very few original ideas. Most music today could fit into a 2013 playlist seamlessly. Completely original Broadway productions are rare. And a 2013 BMW 328 is almost indistinguishable from a 2024 model. You can turn the clock back an additional 10 years and see little difference as well.

 Most of this is due to a desire by American business to avoid risk. They feel comfortable investing $100 million in a re-hash of the Fast and the Furious franchise rather than spending $30 million on an original screenplay that might not sell. Car manufactures only "tweak" their designs each year rather than coming up with original designs (Ok, the cyber truck is different, but we can do better than that). And the record companies will only back artists that fit the mold of the established artists.

What is most concerning about this is that it will only get worse. As more and more content is generated by Artificial Intelligence, which has been trained using most of the recent content, can we expect new ideas to flourish? Probably not. Additionally, as the AI engines ingest more content that was AI generated itself it will inevitably lead to a homogeneity with very little variation and imagination.

 So the next time you find yourself saying, "The world is changing so fast…" Ask yourself, "Is it?"