Glasgow's recent AI fiasco was a Baudrillardian nightmare
In Sublation Magazine, Strange Exiles host Bram E. Gieben asks what an AI-generated Willy Wonka rip-off can tell us about the state of our impoverished hyperreality.
This month, a very weird thing happened in Glasgow. A mob of parents revolted after being ripped off by an ‘immersive experience’ so underwhelming, it launched a global tsunami of memes. Subsequently, it was revealed that “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” was almost entirely AI generated.
This led me to think about the uses of artificial intelligence in art, the odd flatness of Wonka, ‘minimum viable books’, and Jean Baudrillard’s writing on ‘hyperreality’ in Simulacra and Simulation.
I wrote an essay for Sublation Magazine:
When we use the weird doppelgänger of our artificial intelligences to create the imaginary spaces where we go to be entertained, we do not find ourselves in Baudrillard’s conception of a fantasy that structures hyperreality. Instead we are in a liminal space, haunted by strange and unfamiliar ghosts…
If you enjoy the essay, please share it with someone else you know who might get a kick from it!
This morning I received an email from LB of
, who wrote a considered, provocative response to my essay that spins off into an analysis of George Galloway’s recent controversial by-election victory. I was thrilled to receive this critical response. I write to provoke a reaction, and this was one I thoroughly enjoyed.A quick shout-out to Mark McGee of You Call That Radio. I first saw the Wonkagate story via memes he shared when he covered the event for his YouTube channel. He later bagged an interview with the performers from the cursed event. Mark’s a brilliant, funny commentator whose show is currently broadcasting from Mexico. Consider supporting him on Patreon if you enjoy his work.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon with Episode 23 of Strange Exiles. Check out my last post to find out who’s coming round for a chat.
-Bram, Glasgow, 10 March 2024
The Darkest Timeline: Living in a World With No Future (Revol Press)
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