What media format will ChatGPT and AI bring back that was previously obsolete?

ChatGPT and AI have the potential to bring back a variety of media formats that have been rendered obsolete in recent years. One of Marshall McLuhan’s 4 laws of media states that all new forms of media cause something to be retrieved from the past. For instance, when the new media of radio came out in everyone’s homes there was a resurgence in the global village theater. More recently, we’ve seen this in the resurgence of vinyl records as a result of digital streaming. Physical book sales boomed after digital books and Kindles, and long-form radio-style talk interviews are all the rage on podcasts. Could chatGPT and AI be used to revive other ‘obsolete’ technologies? If the media law holds up as it has now consistently for the past 50 years, then it certainly will.

One possibility is a resurgence in typewriters. While chatGPT and AI may be able to create copy, there is something special about creating content with a physical typewriter. The act of typing out words on paper can bring back feelings of nostalgia from yesteryear. It can also provide a break from the monotony of staring at a computer screen all day for work or school projects. In his book, The Revenge of Analog, author David Sax writes about how factories that created vinyl records were brought back from the edge of extinction in a big way. Now, vinyl production has exploded. Could chatGPT and AI bring about a similar resurgence for typewriters? ( You can listen to my interview with David Sax about his new book, The Future is Analog, here.)

Another artifact from the past is timed writing tests in classrooms. This could be used to measure human creativity and avoid the use of AI technology. Pen and paper would take the place of chatGPT or AI, allowing students to showcase their creative abilities without the help of a computer-generated algorithm.

I also predict a boom in paper and pen sales. Note-taking and journaling with pen and paper encourages the user to slow down and think more consciously. This mindfulness practice can be beneficial for mental health, especially in a world where ChatGPT and AI have become commonplace. We may even see people publishing their handwritten works alongside the print versions as proof of their human-only origin.

As artists and visual creators are pushed out of their current spaces we will likely see a renaissance of handmade art and creativity. The pottery industry, weaving, fabric arts, hand drawing, and painting will potentially start to bubble up again. The desire and time that is freed up from AI will provide fuel for these creative hobbies and revived industries.

ChatGPT and AI are quickly becoming a part of our everyday lives, but it could also serve to bring back aspects from the past that have been forgotten. Marshall McLuhan’s laws of media have proven true for the past 50 years. Whether it be typewriters, timed writing tests in classrooms, or paper and pen usage, chatGPT and AI may revive media formats that were previously considered obsolete. Ultimately, AI may prove to be the key to unlocking a new era of creativity. Who knows what might come next? Only time will tell! Until then, chatGPT and AI have the potential to make us look back — in order for us to move forward.

What are some things you think could boomerang back in the near future? Let me know in the comments below!

References:

Sax, D. The Revenge of Analog 2016

McLuhan, M. Laws of Media 1977