Double Edged Retrieval: AI, Media & McLuhan pt.2

In my last post, I explored Marshall McLuhan’s idea that the content of new media mimics the old, and how AI fits into that pattern. Now, I’m turning my attention to another of his insights:

New Media Retrieve Aspects of Older Media

McLuhan argued that new media often bring back characteristics of older forms of communication, reinterpreting them in a modern context. Podcasting, for example, revived the intimacy of radio’s golden age, while social media comment sections recall the communal nature of public forums. AI, too, is engaging in this process of retrieval—and in fascinating ways.

The Return to Anonymous Creation

During the medieval period, much of art and architecture was created anonymously. Gothic cathedrals, for example, stand as towering achievements of human ingenuity, yet their creators remain largely unnamed. These works were a testament to collective effort and devotion, emphasizing the creation over the individual artist.

AI echoes this ethos of anonymity. It generates works—be they art, music, or literature—without a singular, identifiable creator. In doing so, it challenges the modern obsession with individual authorship and personality. Instead, the product—the story, the artwork, the experience—takes center stage.

But there’s a twist. While medieval art reflected humanity’s collective spirit, AI-generated works often feel detached from human emotion altogether. They seem like the product of a “non-human” force, raising questions about how much of “humanity” remains in creations that lack a human touch. This abstraction of humanity is a compelling—and unsettling—shift.

Reviving the Flexibility of Oral Traditions

Long before books and screens, storytelling was a dynamic, interactive process. Storytellers would adapt their tales to the mood and reactions of their audience, creating a fluid and participatory narrative. The focus wasn’t on a fixed “masterpiece” but on fostering connection and engagement.

AI retrieves this fluidity. Tools like AI Dungeon allow for narratives that respond dynamically to user input, creating highly personalized experiences. This interactivity echoes the immediacy and intimacy of oral storytelling, where the narrative evolves in real-time based on the listener’s reactions.

Yet, this revival comes with its own concerns. The logical extension of this—a platform so attuned to us that it can anticipate our thoughts and emotions—feels like the stuff of dystopian nightmares. Still, it’s undeniable that the rigidity of mass-produced media is giving way to something more adaptive and personal, bringing us full circle to the interactive storytelling of our earliest ancestors.

A Double-Edged Retrieval

As AI retrieves these elements of older media, it simultaneously abstracts the human element. Medieval artisans and oral storytellers were deeply human, their creations imbued with imperfections, emotions, and lived experience. AI’s output, by contrast, is calculated, precise, and often detached from life as we know it.

Or is it? AI models are trained on an enormous corpus of human-created content, making them a kind of foggy mirror reflecting humanity back at itself. Does this make their creations more human than we’re inclined to believe?

What Do You Think?

What other aspects of older media is AI retrieving? And how do we navigate the balance between innovation and the abstraction of humanity in these new forms? Let me know your thoughts. This is a topic I’m sure I’ll return to as AI continues to reshape the way we create and consume media.