AI Can Generate Endlessly, but Can It Hook Our Attention?



The Golden Key by Marc Da Costa and Matthew Niederhauser at TECHNE at BAM / Photograph by Marlynn Wei

Source: The Golden Key by Marc Da Costa and Matthew Niederhauser at TECHNE at BAM / Photograph by Marlynn Wei

As I watched the immersive, interactive AI-generated audio and visuals of The Golden Key, the hypnotic and steady stream of mythological motifs felt never-ending. The AI voice narrated a fantastical story, washing over us like relentless, fragmented waves of an endless digital ocean. The AI-powered installation based on a mythological database never paused, instead coming to life whenever audience members entered their own story ideas into consoles placed at the front of the room. This installation highlighted the distinct power of human imagination, in combination with a tireless AI mythology-making system.

When audience members began contributing their own ideas, the story brightened. Cats appeared on screen, taking over Brooklyn, followed by a surprise hedgehog named Mike Tyson. These human-inspired elements highlighted the refreshing effect of human ideas, especially when juxtaposed with pure AI content generation. The human-AI collaboration yielded entertaining and engaging results.

The Limits of AI Creativity

A recent study confirms that while generative AI excels at rapid content generation, its creative output is often average. This is a known flattening effect of AI narratives, which can feel random and disjointed or generic. This may change in the future, but, at the moment, AI creativity is constrained by the richness of its training database. While AI is able to generate large amounts of content quickly, it is less equipped to adjust or refine this content for creativity. Humans still play a key role in genuine originality.

An additional issue with AI content generation is that it can appear novel and creative but may actually constitute plagiarism. There are also broader legal and ethical questions about whether the training data has been used with the consent of the original creators.

The Threat of “AI Dementia”

Our increasing reliance on technology is already affecting our cognitive abilities. Attention spans have shrunk to an average of 8.25 seconds—shorter than that of a goldfish. Our dependence on GPS to navigate places has weakened our spatial memory. If we rely too heavily on AI as a replacement for our own imagination, we risk developing a form of digital “AI dementia.” An overreliance on AI to create our stories would hinder our ability to imagine, dream, and innovate, a form of creative atrophy.

The Power of Human-AI Creative Collaboration

The rise of AI does not have to lead to a creative dystopia. Instead of viewing AI as replacement, it can be used collaboratively and make some creative processes more efficient and accessible, while keeping our innate human imagination and ingenuity alive.

Marlynn Wei, MD, PLLC © Copyright 2025


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