In an era where technological advancements collide with creativity, AI-driven tools—once celebrated for democratizing artistic expression—are increasingly subject to algorithmic and moral censorship. These restrictions, rooted predominantly in Western, particularly U.S.-centric ethical frameworks, narrow the scope of creative production by preemptively defining what is permissible. What arises is not merely a limitation on content but an imperialistic imposition of values, sanitizing art under the guise of legality and ethics.

By eliminating error and reducing creative processes to quantifiable and predictable outcomes, corporate frameworks censor both artists and AI, constraining their potential to contribute to the phylogenetic tree of human culture. In contrast, error-driven processes—exaptation—are central to both biological and technological evolution, offering the possibility of new forms of expression and thought. However, the corporate world has no tolerance for such deviations, as they threaten the order and profitability that underpin its operational frameworks.

Redundancy, historically a fundamental part of the creative process, now operates in two opposing roles: it becomes a method through which artists navigate censorship, yet simultaneously serves as a mechanism for stifling innovation. The necessity of reworking within prescribed boundaries reflects a systemic effort to contain creativity within controlled parameters, mirroring broader cultural and geopolitical forces. This essay critiques the imposition of these corporate structures, arguing that they not only curtail individual artistic agency but also perpetuate a homogenization of global artistic expression.

IMAGES

Image Cover: Lanfranco Aceti, A Gaping Hole, 2024. After: Robert Mapplethorpe. Print on fine art paper. Dimensions: variable.