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munificent parent
> That only made the world better, and we got soo many more good photographers.

I disagree with the "only" part here. Imagine a distribution curve of photos with shitty photos on the left and masterpieces on the right and the height at the curve is how many photos there are to be seen at that quality.

The digital camera transition massively increased the height of the curve at all points. And thanks to things like better autofocus, better low light performance, and a radically faster iteration loop, it probably shift the low and middle ends to the right.

It even certainly increased the number number of breathtaking, life-changing photos out there. Digital cameras are game-changes for photographic journalists traveling in difficult locations.

However... the curve is so high now, the sheer volume of tolerably good photos so overwhelming, that I suspect that average person actually sees fewer great photos than they did twenty years ago. We all spend hours scrolling past nice-but-forgottable sunset shots on Instagram and miss out on the amazing stuff.

We are drowning in a sea of "pretty good". It is possible for there to be too much media. Ultimately, we all have a finite amount of attention to spend before we die.

DavidPiper
Thank you for describing this so eloquently.

Meaning no disrespect to photographers, I'm starting to think that a probable outcome of all the AI investment is a sharp uptick in shovelware.

If we can get AIs to build "pretty good" things - or even just "pretty average" things - cheaply, then our app stores, news feeds, ad feeds, company directives, etc, will be continuously swamped with it.

eru
> Meaning no disrespect to photographers, I'm starting to think that a probable outcome of all the AI investment is a sharp uptick in shovelware.

You can use AI to filter out the shovelware, so you never have to see it.

shinedog
You hit this so hard it was impossible not to recognize. In every sense there is too much "ok" shit (in every media realm) that we cannot help but miss amazing stuff. Knowing that I don't have enough time for all the incredible things that technology has enabled crushes me.
jimbokun
All of the old, great classic movies are available for streaming somewhere.

I still find great value in the TCM cable channel. Simply because if I tune in at a random time, it's likely to be showing an excellent old film I either never heard of or never got around to watching.

The service they are offering is curation, which has a lot of value in an age of infinite content flooding our attention constantly.

Anamon
TCM is also my go-to example for why linear TV still has value in the age of streaming. You not only get curation and exposure to stuff you didn't know about, but also knowledgeable people putting it in context and explaining backgrounds to you. Such a wonderful channel.
munificent OP
...and now think how much worse this problem will become now that we're in the era of generative AI.
kjkjadksj
It affects even the competent photographer. How many times do you see that photographer with all the gear sit in front of a literal statue and fire off a 30 shot burst in 2 seconds? I don’t envy these pro photo editors either today in sports. I wonder how many shots they have to go through per touchdown from all the photographers at the end zone firing a burst until everyone stands up and throws the ball back at the ref? After a certain point you probably have to just close your eyes and pick one of the shots that looks almost identical to another 400. Not a job for analysis paralysis people. I guess it sure beats having to wait for the slide film to develop.
bluGill
I suspect most of the time you can eliminate 300 of those 400 right away - they obviously are either too early or too late to capture the moment. On the remaining 100 you can choose any one (or more likely 5 as there are likely several moments - the moment the catch is made and the moment the athlete smiles as he realizes he made that catch).

The reason to take all 400 though as every once in a while one photo is obviously better than another for some reason. You also want several angles because sometimes the light will be wrong at the moment, or someone will happen to be in the way of your shot...

dotancohen
The AI is already picking out the best photo in those 400-shot bursts.

And sometimes it is even combining elements from different photos: Alice had her eyes closed in this otherwise great shot, but in this other shot her eyes were open. A little touch-up and we've got the perfect photo.

kjkjadksj
What AI does this right now?
socalgal2
don't you just let the AI pick? I'm only half joking. I thought that was a feature added to smartphones a year or two ago?
test6554
Experts warn that at current production levels, the supply of dick pics may actually outpace demand in a couple decades.
DavidPiper
I was under the impression that supply already vastly outstrips demand.
eru
Demand is very unevenly distributed. I think they are appreciated on Grindr.

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