[ExI] AI-generated music videos(was: Re: Polanyi's Personal Coefficient)

Tue Sep 8 03:27:12 UTC 2026

Re ugly, I am reminded of being in Cajamarca, Peru, in 1964. We were on our
way back from 2 or 3 months of geophysical survey work at 14,000 feet. The
hotel we were in was hosting a local version of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, only, of course, it was a celebration of Pizarro's
conquest of Peru.

The local Incas are rather nice looking; every one of the women at the
hotel was ugly, some of them spectacularly so. A few days later, we were in
Lima, where they had Pizarro's remains in a glass case and a huge painting
of him on the wall. Amazingly ugly, nose like an ax stuck in his face.
Apparently, his band was selected as uglier than him. (Sort of like Trump's
subordinates are all less competent than Trump.) Their descendants are
still the upper crust of Peruvian society.

Or at least that was the case in 1964.

Keith

On Mon, Sep 7, 2026 at 9:49 AM spike jones via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

>
>
>
> Ben there is a lot to unpack here, so I left your entire commentary in
> there.  Read on please.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of
> Ben
> Zaiboc via extropy-chat
>
>
> On 07/09/2026 13:01, spike wrote:
> >>... AI is already not just writing songs, it is writing better songs than
> we write.  Consider this AI-generated video with what I think is an
> (excellent) AI-generated music video:
> >
> >
> >>... If AI can do that, we humans will likely eventually just dissolve
> into
> them.
>
> >...spike, that was truly horrible...
>
> Oh on the contrary sir, very much so.  Guess it depends on taste.  I liked
> it.  I would listen to that song in my car.
>
> >...I didn't manage to watch more than a few seconds of it. Granted, I
> don't
> like country music...
>
> No worries, I like it enough to cover the both of us, with change left
> over.
>
> >... If this sort of thing is going to be at all convincing...
>
> OK no worries, I now realize they aren't really trying to be convincing or
> to perfectly imitate reality.
>
> >... the AIs will have to learn to wipe the same stupid grin off the face
> of
> every single character...
>
> Barn dances are fun Ben.
>
> >...Didn't you find it offputting that everyone is grinning like an idiot?
> ...
>
> No.  Smart people grin too.  I hope so.  Otherwise... I'm an idiot.
>
> But thanks for pointing that out, for it is always good to feel gratitude
> when one is fortunate, as we all are here, all of us.  Gratitude is a
> powerful emotion.  I am a naturally cheerful person.  We see the reflection
> of ourselves and our attitudes in others.  So... most people appear to be
> cheerful to me.
>
> >...It's like a barn dance at a mental hospital, with everyone in a manic
> phase...
>
> OK sure.  But... look at it this way: if one is manic depressive, which
> phase is more fun?  And if they could just stay up there, it would be a
> good
> thing, ja?  And if all the patients at the mental hospital is in that phase
> simultaneously, why the heck not have a barn dance?  And barn dances are
> fun
> as all get out.  I don't recall seeing grumpy people there: the grumpy
> bears
> can't stand it.  They leave.  They aren't comfortable there, any more than
> the pre-Christmas Grinch would hang out in Whoville.  Barn dances are for
> happy people.
>
> Ben, try this, me lad: get your attitude right, then go to the local
> country
> western bar.  Be friendly, warm, kind.  Shake hands, greet strangers.  Be
> human.  If it doesn't work for you, well, you tried.  If it does work for
> you, even temporarily, you now understand why that bar has plenty of
> customers.  I see you have .me at the end of your email @.  Are you from
> Montenegro?  Do they not have something analogous to cowboy bars there?
> They have beef, which implies cows, which implies cowboys, which implies
> cowboy bars, ja?
>
> >...I can't offer an opinion on the realism of the music, but it did seem
> similarly forced and over-cheerful. Maybe that's what country music is
> supposed to be like, I wouldn't know...
>
> Well, OK then.  Get to know.
>
> >...The overall impression was 'Drowning in Syrup'...
>
> Granted it is gaggy sweet.  I'm cool with that.  If one is going to barf
> anyway, better that it is from too sweet.
>
> >...and of course the graphics are painfully sharp-edged and everyone has
> perfect complexion. I expect that's just the current standard of AI video,
> and it will improve, but it certainly doesn't encourage me to want to watch
> more such videos...
>
> The religion crowd sells us a vision of their brand of afterlife which is
> kinda like that video.  Everybody is healthy, good looking etc.  It never
> occurred to me that this is a bad thing.
>
> >...This has reminded me of something I noticed about the series 'Lost':
> Everyone, without exception is good-looking. Even the ugly people are
> actually good-looking. Is this a particularly american thing?...
>
> NO!  I went to Europe last spring, HOly schlaMOLy, you guys have the
> beauties over there.  Everywhere I looked, pulchritudinous ladies strutting
> around in that gorgeous white hair, etc.
>
> >...Are there no ugly american actors? It adds to the unreality of american
> shows, I feel. I hope AI isn't copying that tendency, making everyone
> unrealistically beautiful...
>
> I am not much of a consumer of Hollyweird products, so you might be right
> on
> that.
>
> >...Teenagers these days are insecure enough already!  Ben
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Bah, teenagers schmeenagers.  Their problem is they focus too much on
> youth.
> Little do they realize their peak years are half a century hence...
>
> spike
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> extropy-chat mailing list
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
> http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20260907/4094da1c/attachment.htm>