Sari Azout discusses the increasing focus on "taste" in the context of AI's impact on creativity. While there's concern that AI could automate human uniqueness, Azout emphasizes that taste stems from the process of cultivating it, not just the end result. Taste is seen as an emergent property developed through a hunger for art, paying attention to nuances, and learning from differences.
Azout mentions that developing taste involves understanding the gap between creation and intention, akin to Ira Glass's concept of "living in the gap." She also highlights the need for judgment and taste in translating user feedback into good products.
Discussion (3)
I think taste can be considered a skill. Like the article mentions, you develop it over time. So that being said, If you create art, having AI do the hard bits of work for you (especially the most creative parts) can sometimes hurt your development of taste.
This was true even before AI. A lot of automation tools are time savers to pros and beginners alike, but if you are the beginner, you often times don't even know if the automation tools are doing good things or bad things (from a taste perspective), you just blindly accept what has been done.
We would also benefit from audiences that have deep taste developed. It helps to not be "wowed" by content slop and have a community of viewers that can contribute meaningfully. Art is usually a conversation.