Notes on Notes on 'Taste'
Are.na's essay “Notes on ‘Taste’” on cultivating taste, and why taste, including AI ‘research taste’, matters as the cost of making variations nears zero.
I also believe taste is something we can and should try to cultivate. Not because taste itself is a virtue, per se, but because I’ve found a taste-filled life to be a richer one. To pursue it is to appreciate ourselves, each other, and the stuff we’re surrounded by a whole lot more.
The universe kept nudging me towards this, after reading Brie Wolfson’s profoundly affecting Flounder Mode, and her mentioning it on both Packy McCormick’s podcast and David Perell’s.
The word ‘taste’ is having a moment, with those in the AI research community commonly referring to ‘research taste’ (not sure if Chris Olah invented the term, but he discussed it in 2021).
Elsewhere in the AI community, the importance of taste is a hot topic as the cost of producing endless variations on an idea goes to ~zero.