I launched HEAVIES a little over a year ago (and totally missed the first anniversary, oops) and in that time, generative AI has fundamentally changed everything about how we consume culture.
Is this hot influencer real?
Why is the robo-voice in this Reel telling me to eat 200g of protein a day, and why does the guy doing hanging crunches have deep-fried abs?
Why is J.Crew using an “AI photographer,” as Blackbird Spyplane revealed, to create its social campaigns?
The creative act—of conceptualizing, executing, and publishing—is supposed to be the rewarding part! The part that makes us feel human. Alive-ish. On the same awareness frequency, little nodes that we are, with the other people around us. Creation is the gift, the sacrament, the hum. Instead of using AI to find convenient meeting times on our calendars or fill out bank forms for us, we’re mainlining slop into the creative ecosystem and draining potable water supplies.
I doubt that’s a future anyone wants, not even the investors hastening AI’s adoption across various sectors. (Billionaires need cool stuff to spend money on, too. I think?) Creatively, I suspect what we’re going to see is a premium on “proof of reality” as a form of brand cachet (I’m working on a project with the homies at The Office of Applied Strategy that will have more on that shortly): live experiences and other signals that can’t be easily mimicked. I’m surprised no one’s capitalized on a realistic Honey Deuce filter yet.
Which is why I think we need to utilize SHAME far more than we currently do, especially as a tool for shaping the future we want. We need to make people feel like dogshit for using generative AI that takes work away from creatives: writers, graphic designers, photographers, stylists, even health influencers. Whatever. We need a slur for people who use AI for the wrong reasons.
Recently, my wife—a supreme hater whom I love very much—pointed out that someone looked like they had “AI face” (derogatory), which was funny, and a new development for said person. It’s not perfect, but it’s a fine place to start.
Other news:
SSENSE has been in the news recently, so I just want to highlight some of the amazing work that the editorial team has been doing these past few months. Ambitious writing and great stories on people like Earl Sweatshirt, Hideo Kojima, Katseye, James Frey, Cameron Winter. Stories on emerging visual artists like Leon Xu, Christine Sun Kim, and Nickola Pottinger. It’s a special place to publish and I hope that whatever happens interesting work like this can still have a home.
I’ve been sleeping like shit, mostly because our three-year old has been going through a sleep regression, so I recently upped my creatine intake to 20g a day (lol) on the advice of Dr. Rhonda Patrick, and it’s actually been helping.
I’ve been loving the conversation around natural fibers and workout clothes this summer (especially from
and ). Would love to hear if anyone’s made the switch from synthetics recently and what brands, if any, you’re feeling. Because my workout wardrobe (heavy on Dri-Fit) could use a light refresh.
Thanks as always for reading HEAVIES. Consider becoming a subscriber for $5.62 a month if you enjoyed this post.
I also had this question recently and my favorite contender was "sloppers"
We need more bullying on LinkedIn