Today’s AJ highlights: A big new study claims that Generative AI can now beat the average human on standard creativity tests (Science Daily). The catch? Researchers warn this “creativity” is rapidly leading to “cultural stagnation”—a flood of polished, pleasant “visual elevator music” devoid of meaning (The Conversation). Perhaps this explains why we are seeing a retreat to the deeply human and difficult: reading Moby-Dick is described as a “radical act” of attention (The Atlantic).
Vienna has announced significant arts funding cuts, withdrawing support from theaters and museums (The New York Times). In the U.S., SFMOMA has abruptly paused its “Free First Thursday” program (Yahoo!), and the circus-dinner theater Teatro ZinZanni is closing its Chicago and Seattle productions, citing economic uncertainty and fear of ICE raids (WBEZ). But in a rare bright spot, the Broadway musical The Outsiders has defied the odds to turn a profit (The New York Times).
Politics and commerce are becoming increasingly surreal. Donald Trump is threatening tariffs on foreign-made movies, specifically targeting productions that flee Los Angeles (Yahoo), while simultaneously taking to Truth Social to wash his hands of the Kennedy Center’s “massive deficits,” claiming he merely tried to save it (The Daily Beast).
All of today’s stories below.
