Oliver Bown

In this piece for University of Catalan magazine MOSAIC I argue that debates about creative AI get stuck in micro concerns -- whether AI is a tool or a collaborator, who gets paid, etc. -- and miss macro-concerns -- how is AI transforming power and cultural dynamics.

mosaic.uoc.edu/2025/07/29/p...

Damn who's got my copy?

I met her on a few occasions but never got to know her well. I've criticised the computational creativity communities' over-reliance on her foundational work which I feel was too centered on the individual. But it's time to pull out The Creative Mind again. I've no doubt it holds up well.

Margaret Boden - Wikipedia

I'm late to hear of the passing of Margaret Boden, the most influential figure in the field of Computational Creativity -- certainly the Grandmother of CC. She was a clear and rigorous thinker capable of hopping interdisciplinary divides like a parkour master. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margare...

Worse she claims that because platforms' most diabolical content comes when you're logged out, it's better you're free to train the algorithm.

Algo be training your kids methinks.

There’s a good reason why the social media ban won’t work, and the government knows it Children will always find a way to circumnavigate your online roadblocks because they know the terrain better than you.

Perplexing arguments. The author seemingly makes the case that we don't outright ban kids from many things by using the examples of sex and driving.

www.smh.com.au/technology/t...

National Press Club Address: Scott Farquhar - Co-Founder of Atlassian Tech billionaire, investor and philanthropist Scott Farquhar, Co-Founder of Atlassian, addresses the National Press Club.

iview.abc.net.au/video/NC2511...

I thought I was tuning in to hear a distinguished innovator and thinker who might talk truth to power like his compatriot has sometimes done, not a lobbying job. I do believe there's a great place for Australia getting behind green datacentre delivery.

Don't get me wrong, the talk had many great points I don't disagree with. But Scott is independently wealthy enough that he *could* think more deeply and talk *much more freely*: topics of negative impact were cleansed from the address to leave the clear agenda of the Tech Council.

He argues we should:
Relax copyright (because "copyright holders aren't seeing a cent anyway").
Create "data embassies" where other countries can run models according to their laws not ours, on Australian soil 🤔.
All use AI every day in everything we do, especially governments' rapid adoption.

I was really looking forward to Scott Farquhar's address to the National Press Club of Australia. A sensible uncorrupted self-made business leader offering a reasoned case for Australia leading in datacentres. It was disappointing to see more of the same whitewash with some distasteful proposals.

Partly true, but when I was 20 I would have had zero idea about proper protocols and how things work. This is part of the training to be a future leader, but taking the initiative is a great start.

No but I had a very positive chat to the organiser of the petition after it came to my attention.

Students are right to challenge the roll-out of generative AI in universities The course “Generative AI for Artists” at the School of Art & Design at UNSW Sydney was set up recently as an optional elective to offer…

You may have caught the news about a student-led petition against the UNSW course "Generative AI for Artists", which I convene, calling to shut down the course on the basis of Gen AI's harm to the environment, society, and artists. I've written a piece responding.

medium.com/@olliebown/s...

I would really hope that five minutes with Maxwell's Demon would be able to win over most people's views on this.

Thanks. Completely agree. I'm writing on this and it's clear there is a humanities misconception of a scientific misconception. The brain absolutely processes information (concession "amongst other things"?). When you reach for a banana information is the space through which your hand moves.

But a very serious event still warrants a humorous banner. I'm going with: "Even Schrodinger's cat had more states than this (philosophers for peace)". Original? I suspect not.

I have been politically lazy RE Gaza but I'm out joining 1,000s of Sydneysiders tomorrow to demand ceasefire now and end to the suffering of Gazans. My children will join and see people power. Human induced famine is the cruelest thing in the world. Genocide is a word that fits the circumstances.

It's hard to hold a grip. Trump claims he'll create peace in 24hrs. Months later he's positioning nuclear subs. Keeping the US out of foreign wars? He sacks his labour stats director because he doesn't like the stats. Full authoritarianism is here. Nov 2028 will decide the entire World's future.

A billionaire venture capitalist thinks music as we know it will be dead in 10 years Instead, will be listening to custom made tracks that will be built around our mood, Vinod Khosla says.

Just a reminder to Vinod Khosla, 4 years left. www.businessinsider.com/venture-capi...

Subscription streaming isn't evil. We need to:
* Mandate minimum payout costs
* Apply a per-user split, not a pooled split model
* Enforce an open recommender policy: any user of any service should be able to turn off the system recommendation and replace with other recommender providers.

But it worked in the past, and with all those productivity gains we have time again. What gets me is how constantly muddled it makes me. It's brain rot, but I can't avoid it because it's part of my job to read it.

I have a special love for the NE corner of UNSW Kensington Campus. Complex interplay between levels, work and open spaces, architectural styles.

Just save me from reading AI text ever again.

2021: these language models are getting good.
2022: really good.
2023: oh no, people are actually using them to write.
2024: I didn't mean *that good*.
2025: I can no longer do my job, spending all my time trying to work out what is AI text and what isn't - papers, PhD applications, student essays.

Help a study into musicians’ attitudes to work being used in generative streaming experiences, such as those developed by companies Endel, Aimi, Infinite Album. If you are a musician or music producer, whether or not you have used such tools, please take our survey forms.office.com/r/dYr4zcUT6j.

Writing is hard.

Have your say: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and visual arts practice survey NAVA leads advocacy, policy and action for an Australian contemporary arts sector that's ambitious and fair.

Aussie artists: NAVA is running another survey on artist attitudes to AI. They are advocating for policy that improves conditions for creative artists. Get in there. visualarts.net.au/news-opinion...

Happy to join the pile on but some of this analysis I like.

Still:

"Large language models no longer just retrieve facts" - that's thorny. I wouldn't start a sentence that way.

Talking about comparative advantage then yes I suppose fixing AI's stuff ups is something we'll find we're useful for.

Was just spitballing a PhD title with a potential student, topic is AI's impact on media professionals, and hit upon "The Television Will Not be Revolutionised".

Go to sleep, Ollie. This will not do.