The FT’s innovation editor John Thornhill writes a lot about the dangers of artificial intelligence, but when he recently saw a movie about the musician Brian Eno, created with the help of an algorithm, he liked it. Or, better put, he liked the version he saw: the documentary has 52 quintillion variations. A new take on the film comes together each time it is played. Eno gives us a sense of what AI can do for creativity, finding links and patterns where the human mind does not see any. On today’s show, John tells us about the film, and what makes AI appealing for artists.

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Want to stay in touch? Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. We’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– John’s column about watching Eno is here: https://on.ft.com/3TVG0R2

– And here is his recent review of several books that warn AI’s ability to provide us with more information than ever does not mean we will be better informed: https://on.ft.com/3zXTsge

– John is on X @johnthornhillft

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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In the age of AI, what counts as art?

Life and Art from FT Weekend