The Medium is the AI: Redefining Expectations and Identity in the Age of Generative Technology

So much of the discourse around generative AI focuses on the technology itself — either hyping its potential or scaremongering about its capabilities. However, the true impact of AI lies in its profound influence on our psychology, our expectations, and how we perceive knowledge, social media, news, and intellectual pursuits such as music, books, or art; indeed, even how we perceive ourselves.

Taking a cue from Marshall McLuhan's insight that "the medium is the message," it's crucial to understand that AI, as a new medium, is not just a tool but a transformative force that is set to reshape the fabric of our lives. McLuhan's perspective encourages us to look beyond the technological marvels and consider how AI changes our behavioural norms and societal values.

In Jorge Luis Borges' story "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote", Menard rewrites Cervantes' "Don Quixote" word for word. He does not copy it, but comes up with it independently. Yet because Menard's context and intentions are different, his Quixote is a fundamentally different text. Similarly, AI-generated content, even if identical to human-created content in form, is experienced differently because of the medium through which it is created and consumed.

The difference is of course that Pierre Menard is human while AI is ... well, what is AI exactly?

AI is trained on human culture, it is both a version of ourselves even before we engage with it, and an assistant, an extension, when we do. Now, and in the future, when people perceive works of any kind - whether on social media, a piece of music, a work of art - the question will naturally arise: was this made by an AI? How much input did the human have? How original is it? This Ai-human dichotomy, like so many dichotomies before it, requires careful discernment. Othering AI is too easy, and is ultimately a way of othering a part of ourselves. As history shows, that has a tendency not to end well. It is important that we do not reject this part of our evolving identity at the outset.

This is where Donna Haraway's famous "A Cyborg Manifesto" may be able to help. It challenges the traditional boundaries between human and machine. Haraway envisions a world where the distinctions between technology and biology blur, leading to a cyborg identity that transcends conventional categories.

The transformative leap in identity that AI is helping to bring on is arguably one of its most fundamental and profound impacts. This identity shift may seem to have come overnight, but of course it has been latent since the digital revolution started - or indeed since humans first picked up tools and built machines.

In other, more obvious areas of change, Generative AI is setting new standards for instant gratification and personalisation, altering how we consume and interact with information. We now expect immediate, customised content tailored to our preferences, which fundamentally shifts our engagement with media and intellectual content. Moreover, the rise of human-like interactions with AI is redefining our communication patterns, setting a new baseline for our expectations from both human and machine interlocutors. It is no longer enough that we can ask AI for novelties, we want it all and we want it now.

As AI weaves its way into various facets of our lives, it challenges us to reconsider our relationship with knowledge, with creativity, with ourselves, and with each other. It's no longer just about what AI can do but how it changes us in the process. This evolving dynamic is where the real conversation about AI's impact should be focused.

When we move beyond the hype and fear, we see how AI is a new medium, and its message is reshaping our perceptions, behaviours, and society at large.