(Un)stable diffusions

Generative AI is a uniquely public technology. The large language models behind ChatGPT and other tools that generate text and images is a major develop in publicity as much as technology. Without public data and public participation, these large models could not be trained. Without the attention,...

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Main Authors: Fenwick McKelvey, Joanna Redden, Jonathan Roberge, Luke Stark
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: DIGSUM 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Digital Social Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://publicera.kb.se/jdsr/article/view/40453
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author Fenwick McKelvey
Joanna Redden
Jonathan Roberge
Luke Stark
author_facet Fenwick McKelvey
Joanna Redden
Jonathan Roberge
Luke Stark
author_sort Fenwick McKelvey
collection DOAJ
description Generative AI is a uniquely public technology. The large language models behind ChatGPT and other tools that generate text and images is a major develop in publicity as much as technology. Without public data and public participation, these large models could not be trained. Without the attention, hype, and hope around these technologies, the big AI firms probably could not afford the computational costs to train these models. Our special issue questions how Critical AI Studies can attend to the publics, publicities, and publicizations of generative AI. We situate AI’s publicity as mode of publicity – hype, scandals, silences, and inevitability – as well as a mode of participation seen in the grown importance of technology demonstrations. Within this situation our contributions offer four different research paths: (1) situating the legacy media as an enduring process of legitimation; (2) looking at the ways that AI has a private life in public; (3) questioning the post-democratic future of public participation; and, (4) developing new prototypes of public participation through research creation.
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spelling doaj-art-1876ad194a9b41158b63e1637e6a33402025-01-15T09:51:19ZengDIGSUMJournal of Digital Social Research2003-19982024-12-016410.33621/jdsr.v6i440453(Un)stable diffusionsFenwick McKelvey0Joanna Redden1Jonathan Roberge2Luke Stark3Concordia University, CanadaWestern University, CanadaInstitut national de la recherche scientifique, CanadaWestern University, Canada Generative AI is a uniquely public technology. The large language models behind ChatGPT and other tools that generate text and images is a major develop in publicity as much as technology. Without public data and public participation, these large models could not be trained. Without the attention, hype, and hope around these technologies, the big AI firms probably could not afford the computational costs to train these models. Our special issue questions how Critical AI Studies can attend to the publics, publicities, and publicizations of generative AI. We situate AI’s publicity as mode of publicity – hype, scandals, silences, and inevitability – as well as a mode of participation seen in the grown importance of technology demonstrations. Within this situation our contributions offer four different research paths: (1) situating the legacy media as an enduring process of legitimation; (2) looking at the ways that AI has a private life in public; (3) questioning the post-democratic future of public participation; and, (4) developing new prototypes of public participation through research creation. https://publicera.kb.se/jdsr/article/view/40453AIgenerative AIpublicitypublic theorymedia and communication
spellingShingle Fenwick McKelvey
Joanna Redden
Jonathan Roberge
Luke Stark
(Un)stable diffusions
Journal of Digital Social Research
AI
generative AI
publicity
public theory
media and communication
title (Un)stable diffusions
title_full (Un)stable diffusions
title_fullStr (Un)stable diffusions
title_full_unstemmed (Un)stable diffusions
title_short (Un)stable diffusions
title_sort un stable diffusions
topic AI
generative AI
publicity
public theory
media and communication
url https://publicera.kb.se/jdsr/article/view/40453
work_keys_str_mv AT fenwickmckelvey unstablediffusions
AT joannaredden unstablediffusions
AT jonathanroberge unstablediffusions
AT lukestark unstablediffusions