Seedance (& See Artistic Atrophy & Mediocrity)
ByteDance's Latest AI Video Model & the Dumbing Down of Creativity
A new slate of exclusive “insider” interviews is coming soon with leading players across the AI/media/entertainment ecosystem. But today, in light of ByteDance’s controversial new AI video model Seedance, I lay out the artistic “risks” that flow from over-dependence on generative AI — i.e., when AI becomes the “Creator” itself, not just a creative “tool.” Here’s my punchline (I lay it out below):
AI, as a powerful new tool in the creative arsenal, can help humans unlock new artistic possibilities. But AI — left to its own devices — can break no new creative ground. True “originality” only flows from the human mind that divines and then crafts the Art.
But First …
The results of last week’s polls are in.
67% of you do NOT believe your jobs are at serious risk of displacement by AI
69% of you still believe a college education is worth it
So it looks like you, my readers, are mostly AI optimists. With that in mind, and to stress test that conclusion, here’s a new poll for you:
Update on Last Week’s AI Revenue Sharing Newsletter
Last week’s newsletter focused on new AI revenue sharing models for content licensing. Now, both Microsoft and Amazon just announced AI “content marketplaces” for ongoing licensing payments via usage-based models akin to the startup I showcased last week, ProRata.ai (rather than one-time licensing).
It’s the latest sign that the age of AI’s wholesale taking of IP in the name of “fair use” is over. If AI behemoths are pushing an ongoing royalty system for content licensing, that’s where it’s all going.
Feature Story: AI Creative Over-Dependence Leads to Artistic Atrophy & Mediocrity
In light of ByteDance’s controversial new Seedance generative AI video model — which tramples over Hollywood and artistic IP (here’s an excellent post about it all by tech expert David Pogue) — let me lay out what I consider to be obvious.
Truly original Art flows only from the human condition.
AI can’t know what it feels to be human — nor the Artist’s emotional state at the precise moment of creation — nor the audience’s emotional reaction.
AI can imitate. But it can’t originate from lived experience. Which means AI, by itself, cannot create truly original Art.
To Err Is Human — and That’s the Point
Human creativity isn’t powerful despite our flaws. It’s powerful because of them.
Yes, AI make mistakes too — hallucinations. But engineers try to eliminate them. Human creators don’t. Perfection isn’t the goal of Art. Often, it’s the enemy of it.
Music legend Rick Rubin captures this beautifully in his book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” — when he writes that a creative work isn’t done when it has five mistakes. It’s done when it has eight. Imperfection is resonance.
Originality Is Hard Work — and That Matters
The New York Times’ brilliant pundit Ezra Klein raises another critical point that’s often lost in these human vis-a-vis AI “creativity” discussions — i.e., groundbreaking Art is rarely easy. It’s messy, iterative, and demanding. That struggle — the Artist’s thousands of tiny creative decisions — is where originality is born.
Shortcuts short-circuit that creative process. And over-reliance on AI risks creative atrophy — what AI philosopher Michael Ashley calls “cognitive diminishment.” Essentially, use it or lose it.
Think autopilot. Aviation automation made flying safer. But research shows over-reliance on technology erodes pilots’ judgment skills — with tragic consequences.
The same principle applies to creativity.
Simulation ≠ Creation
Even leading AI “insiders” acknowledge AI’s creative limitations. Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, says current AI models don’t possess true creativity. They simply recombine training data.
Meanwhile, OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy calls base LLMs “internet document simulators.”
That’s not originality. That’s synthesis.
AI can produce novelty — something new. But “novelty” isn’t the same as “originality.” Originality transforms. Novelty rearranges.
Where AI Actually Helps Creators
To be clear, AI can be a powerful new tool in the creative process. Andy Beach, former Microsoft CTO (whose interview I just recently featured in this newsletter), describes a constructive path forward where AI enhances, rather than substitutes for human creators.
He identifies these examples:
Pre-production: storyboards, scouting, script revisions
Production: scheduling, lighting optimization, logistics
Post: rotoscoping, base color grading
Distribution: smarter localization
Andy underscores that AI technology isn’t the problem. It’s how we humans deploy it. Too often the media and entertainment industry looks to AI to cut corners — especially human headcount.
AI as an Engine of Inclusion
Andy identifies “accessibility” as being another area where AI is a creative “net positive.” We live in a media world awash with great content. But we don’t have enough translators, interpreters, or voice talent to surface it for a global audience.
AI can close that gap.
Real-time captioning, dubbing, and translation don’t eliminate creativity. They expand it, helping smaller creators and more diverse stories reach global audiences — and resurrecting legacy creative works (think, classic movies) for new generations.
That’s not Artist replacement. That’s creative amplification.
The Real Risk Isn’t AI — It’s Dependence
So the danger isn’t AI itself. It’s our over-dependence on AI.
If the media and entertainment industry chases “good enough” AI outputs for the sake of prioritizing Wall Street as its main audience, we risk a race to the common denominator — efficient, comfortable, and ultimately forgettable.
In other words, creative comfort food. Not an entirely new, original tasting experience.
The Bottom Line
We’re at an unsettling AI creative inflection point, which is already significantly disrupting the entertainment industry (and the meaning of “Art” itself). But we can’t stick our heads in the sand or try to simply wish it away.
It’s time to be stoic — accepting of this new AI reality. Learn about AI. Experiment with it. But, most importantly, celebrate our confidence in knowing that human creativity can’t be fully decoded or replicated — precisely because it IS human.
We’re not algorithms. We’re messy, emotional, contradictory beings. That’s why great Art connects in ways we can feel, but never fully explain.
Art that truly “moves” us. Not just “art” that is good enough.
Creators may use tools like Seedance, IP risks be damned! But you can’t simply “set it and forget it” and expect to truly connect with the human soul ….
What do you think? Send me your feedback to peter@creativemedia.biz.
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