Erik Hoel's 'semantic apocalypse': Ghibli filter drains meaning from art
erikphoel · x · 2026-09-25
Gregory Conti cites Erik Hoel's essay arguing that zero-cost AI art destroys common culture and our ability to cherish human excellence. Hoel revisits his 2019 "semantic apocalypse" prediction—AI draining meaning from art and language—triggered by OpenAI's image model and the viral Ghibli filter (20M views), admitting he too was delighted before realizing the prophecy had come true.
Related event: Erik Hoel says Ghibli filter craze proves his 'semantic apocalypse'(2 posts)→
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