How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and do semantic search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

See also Top Posts and All Tags.

Tag: art

Minutes:
Blog:
Year:
Show all filters

5 posts found
Apr 01, 2025
acx
Read on
25 min 3,756 words Comments pending
Scott analyzes how technology can make previously profound experiences feel cheap and commonplace, using examples from medieval art to AI-generated images, while suggesting that maintaining wonder is still possible through individual effort. Longer summary
Scott explores the concept of semantic apocalypse - how technological progress can cheapen previously profound experiences - through three connected narratives. He starts with the medieval use of ultramarine blue for painting the Virgin Mary's coat, then discusses Erik Hoel's concerns about AI art cheapening Studio Ghibli's work, and finally examines this pattern throughout history. The post suggests that while this loss of wonder is real, it might be more about personal perception than technology itself, citing Chesterton's and Blake's ability to maintain wonder despite familiarity. The piece concludes that maintaining childlike wonder is possible and valuable, even in an age of abundant AI-generated art. Shorter summary
Nov 20, 2024
acx
Read on
41 min 6,229 words 605 comments 358 likes podcast (16 min)
Scott presents results from his AI art Turing test showing most people struggled to distinguish AI from human art, with professionals doing slightly better and participants unexpectedly preferring AI art. Longer summary
Scott analyzes the results of his AI art Turing test where 11,000 people tried to distinguish between human and AI-generated art. The median score was 60%, only slightly above chance, showing most people had difficulty identifying AI art. Participants tended to judge images based on style rather than subtle quality differences, incorrectly assuming traditional styles were human and digital art was AI. Interestingly, people slightly preferred AI art even when they claimed to hate it. However, professional artists and AI critics scored better at detection, suggesting they may notice subtle flaws that others miss. Shorter summary
Oct 14, 2024
acx
Read on
1 min 62 words 555 comments 146 likes podcast (1 min)
Scott Alexander announces an AI Art Turing Test with a link to a form, closing on 10/21, with results to be posted the following week. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces an AI Art Turing Test, providing a link to a form that readers can complete. The test is expected to take about 20 minutes, and the form will close on Monday 10/21. Scott plans to post the results the following week. He mentions that an answer key will be provided in the comments of the post, with a more detailed version including attributions in the results post. Scott advises readers not to read the comments until they've completed the test. Shorter summary
Apr 21, 2014
ssc
Read on
4 min 581 words 53 comments
Scott Alexander argues for selling Detroit's museum art based on a cost-benefit analysis, emphasizing the value of quantitative thinking in decision-making. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the debate over selling art from Detroit's museum to address the city's financial problems. He cites an analysis from Marginal Revolution that calculates the cost of keeping a specific painting, concluding it's about $1200 per viewer. Scott emphasizes the value of attempting to quantify such decisions, even with imperfect numbers, as it can make the answer obvious. He argues for a consequentialist approach and provocatively suggests selling all the art and replacing it with forgeries, noting that signaling cultural superiority in Detroit might be misplaced. Shorter summary
Dec 18, 2013
ssc
Read on
14 min 2,093 words 86 comments
Scott Alexander discusses the Rationalist Solstice Ritual, exploring how 'cringeworthiness' can strengthen communities and the challenges atheists face in community-building. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reflects on the Rationalist Solstice Ritual, discussing its perceived 'cringeworthiness' and how this relates to community building. He argues that stronger religious communities often have more unusual or 'cringeworthy' beliefs, which create a stronger separation from out-groups. The post then explores how atheist communities struggle to build strong bonds due to lack of this separation, and speculates on various strategies atheists use to overcome this. Finally, Scott addresses the perceived lack of atheist art and music, arguing that many great secular songs about progress and humanism fill this role. Shorter summary