Is the endless stream of AI-generated content drowning out true novelty?

Is the endless stream of AI-generated content drowning out true novelty?

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Somjit Amrit

Somjit Amrit

Striving to be a humanist-technologist, with "Technology in Harmony with Human Needs” being the core of what I attempt to do. Take a look at my thoughts in my first published book "Anecdotally Yours".

Published May 7, 2025

+ Follow Is the endless stream of AI-generated content drowning out true novelty? At CHI 2025, I stumbled upon a fascinating concept called the “Bach Faucet.”

This was in early May 2025, while attending the CHI 2025 conference in Yokohama, Japan. This concept was discussed during one of the breakout sessions.  Do we not get lulled into complacency with the content generated through lazy use of technology ( generative AI in this case)?

 As practitioner of Human-Computer Interaction, we are keenly aware of the impact of generative AI in upending the world of HCi.

Coined by Dr. Kate Compton, the 'Bach Faucet' describes how generative AI can produce an endless supply of content matching or exceeding culturally valued originals. The danger? This abundance can devalue what was once rare and meaningful.

As I was mulling over this reality where things wonderful and rare are forced to become banal, we lose what made them meaningful in the first place.

Today, when wish becomes a command on the generative AI tool, one can bring in the fluency of Hemingway or the sweep of Aristotle to the content we are to co-create. The sense of novelty is lost, the salience is commoditised.

But we, as consumers, have an insatiable appetite for novelty. Is content in danger of getting commoditised? However, our hunger for novel content may not die!

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2 months ago Hard task indeed. How do we achieve this? Are creators doomed?

The challenge of the 'Bach Faucet' – where endless AI content risks devaluing novelty – left me pondering: are creators really doomed? The answer, surprisingly, came not from another academic paper, but an Economic Times article I chanced upon returning to India.

The article talked about a student of IIMA, who, with disarming candour, had suggested how he used ChatGPT and created a marketing report and secured the highest grade. While the headline could be misleading, reading deep into the article demonstrated that his professor valued the “first-hand observations, real conversations, surveys, and original insights. In short, it's not about resisting the tool, but knowing how to wield it wisely.”

So, no point being besieged by the “Bach Faucet” syndrome, we need to look at soaking in the experience, capturing the learnings on the field, and documenting and sharing the same, picking up the nuances through field work, which the tool may miss out.

Using technology as a tool, while absorbing the exposure, learning, and sharing the experience, is the key. No technology can water that down!

#BachFaucet #GenerativeAI #HCi #AIandCreativity #DigitalCommodification #NoveltyVsCommonplace #CHI2025 #TechEthics #CreateWithPurpose #ThoughtfulTech #BeyondThePrompt #ToolsNotCrutches #Human-Centred AI #Kate Compton #EconomicTimes