Granted, skilled performance cannot be separated from technology, but that doesn’t mean we should thoughtlessly embrace any machine that can be faster or stronger than us. Richard Sennett reminds us in The Craftsman (p.105):
The enlightened way to use a machine is to judge its powers, fashion its uses, in light of our own limits rather than the machine’s potential. We should not compete against the machine. A machine, like any model, ought to propose rather than command, and humankind should certainly walk away from command to imitate perfection. Against the claim of perfection we can assert our own individuality, which gives distinctive character to the work we do.
Yet, commercially available Generative AI is a juggernaut that compresses the richness and complexity of our diverse modes of knowing and doing. The philosopher of technology Ursula Franklin used the term “prescriptive technologies” to describe technologies that command rather than propose. Prescriptive technologies foster a culture of uncritical conformity and compliance. She contrasted them with “holistic” technologies, which are associated with craft and creations imbued with unique values.
You don’t have to fully agree with Franklin, but unless you believe there’s no intrinsic value in individuality and distinctiveness, it’s hard to disagree with Sennett. Unless, of course, you belong to the clique that defends the view that we are all “stochastic parrots”.
Ariel Guersenzvaig, PhD 