Nao Tokui

Tomorrow, July 15th, my new book “The Act of Making in the Age of AI Reproduction” (『つくることとAI — 生成と複製のあいだで』) will be released by BNN in Japanese.
https://bnn.co.jp/products/9784802513555

It’s been five years since my previous book, AI for Creativity (『創るためのAI』). While that book was about how to use AI creatively, this one takes a step back to consider how AI should be positioned in relation to the human act of “making.” Behind this, needless to say, lies the rapid “advancement” of generative AI over these past five years. While a single prompt can now “make” plausible-sounding music or a website, I couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unease — is this really what we were hoping for five years ago? That question became the starting point for this book.

In it, I frame the nature and potential of generative AI through five lenses — A: Automation and Averaging, B: Botization, C: Consumption-ization, D: Diffusion, and E: Exploration — plus F: Fukusei (reproduction) technology. Other key concepts include: the lie of “generation,” “Data Realism,” instant coffee and prompts, ectypes and Fukusei AI, and the shift from cult/exhibition value to experiential and game-like value. (As you might guess from the English subtitle, that last discussion draws on Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.)

With AI’s social implementation advancing (at least on the surface) and astonishing technical changes happening by the day, this book was even harder to write than the last. My heartfelt thanks to Sayaka Ishii at BNN for her patience throughout. The wonderful design and illustrations are once again by Yurie Hata. The book grew out of my column series for WIRED Japan — thank you, Matsushima-san and Anscombe-san at WIRED.

Another major influence on this book was the birth of my daughter. Questions like “How can I preserve the joy of making for her when she grows up?” and “What kind of AI technology would allow a rich musical culture to endure?” were always in the back of my mind (she actually appears right from the opening pages). Above all, thanks to my wife for giving me the early morning hours to write!!

I’ve written it with readability in mind so it can reach a wider audience (it’s thinner than the last one!). I hope you’ll pick up a copy — I’d love to hear your thoughts!