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smith-southerton-2025-ai-and-aesthetic-alienation-the-image-and-creativity-in-contemporary-culture1.03 MB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
AI and Aesthetic Alienation: The Image and Creativity in Contemporary Culture
Social Science Computer Review, Vol.44(1), pp.170-179
2026
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
In this comment piece, we argue that mass-produced generative AI (GenAI) images, commonly referred to as "AI slop" should be considered a form of aesthetic alienation. Specifically, we focus on GenAI images of fall, arguing that GenAI images alienate not only artists from their art, but produces an alienating aesthetic in and of itself. Closely attending to the aesthetic registers of GenAI images opens up important sociological questions about the role of the image in contemporary society, and the affective logics of late capitalism. Finally, we highlight how GenAI images are profoundly implicated in the extractive and destructive materialities of late capitalism.
Details
- Title
- AI and Aesthetic Alienation: The Image and Creativity in Contemporary Culture
- Authors
- Naomi Smith (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyClare Southerton - Monash University
- Publication details
- Social Science Computer Review, Vol.44(1), pp.170-179
- Publisher
- Sage Publicatons, Inc.
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1177/08944393251361449
- ISSN
- 1552-8286; 0894-4393
- Copyright note
- © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
- Data Availability
- Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991148639902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
- Information Science & Library Science
- Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary