New Yorker critics examine AI-generated performers as art

The New Yorker’s Critics at Large podcast explores whether AI-generated content can truly be considered art, examining synthetic performers like Timbaland’s AI rapper TaTa Taktumi and virtual actress Tilly Norwood. The discussion reveals how generative AI has evolved beyond simple content creation to fabricating entire digital personas, raising fundamental questions about creativity, authorship, and the nature of artistic expression in an age where machines can convincingly mimic human performance.

What they’re examining: The critics analyze AI-generated performers that blur the line between human creativity and machine production.

• TaTa Taktumi represents Timbaland’s venture into AI-generated rap music, producing tracks like “Glitch x Pulse.”
• Tilly Norwood, a synthetic actress with her own Instagram presence, has garnered attention from industry figures including Betty Gilpin’s Hollywood Reporter piece “Dear Tilly Norwood.”
• These examples demonstrate AI’s progression from simple content generation to creating complete digital identities with their own artistic personas.

The big picture: Critics note that while AI boosters frame the technology as merely facilitating human creativity, the reality shows a different trajectory toward fully autonomous digital performers.

• The podcast traces AI’s cultural impact through science fiction, referencing films from “2001: A Space Odyssey” to “Ex Machina” that anticipated our current technological moment.
• Alexandra Schwartz, one of the Critics at Large hosts, observes that “A.I. has been a source of fascination, of terror, of appeal,” describing it as “the human id in virtual form—at least in human-made art.”

Why this matters: The emergence of synthetic performers challenges traditional concepts of artistic authenticity and creative ownership.

• The discussion connects to foundational texts like Walter Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” and Roland Barthes’ “The Death of the Author.”
• As AI tools become more sophisticated at producing convincing creative content, questions arise about what distinguishes human artistic expression from machine-generated output.

Cultural context: The critics examine how contemporary entertainment reflects broader anxieties about AI’s role in creative industries.

• Shows like “The Morning Show” and films like “Simone” anticipated scenarios where artificial performers could replace human talent.
• The podcast suggests these fictional narratives are becoming increasingly relevant as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent and convincing.