Creative Coding in the Age of Automation

A question that comes up again and again is how AI affects the field of Creative Coding and how I position myself here. So here is a brief statement on the subject.

Creative coding is a fundamentally human activity. A person works creatively with a computer, and code is the interface. Creative coding is a process. It’s not just about the end result, but above all about How it comes into being. If AI does the coding, strictly speaking it is no longer creative coding.

I argue so strongly for a good reason. For me, creative coding is a bastion of technological disobedience, subversion, and critical questioning of computer technology. The output of the process carries this aesthetic DNA like a relief. This aspect is sacred to me. And that’s why I argue this way.

Cory Doctorow put it brilliantly:

Aside from all the political and systemic concerns, I believe that Creative Coding should remain an AI-free refuge, a space for learning and personal thriving. The tempation of prompting complex sketches simply increases the mental load, until you are no longer able to concentrate on the structures that the process should actually illuminate and clarify. Badly prompted AI generated code is hopelessly entangled and complex. So it exceeds your cognitive capacity, just as it exceeds mine. In the end you pay the price with your most valuable resource: Your motivation.

I myself make a strict distinction between code that is purely functional and Creative Coding as a process. I don’t use AI at all in my Processing editor. This commitment allows me to immerse myself completely and get into the flow. I don’t feel distracted by the question if AI could help me in Processing at any time.

I make a few exceptions for developing applications that are purely functional. such as for my website or when I develop User Interfaces. But I always with one question in mind: Would I be able to build this system myself? To put it simply: I don’t use any generated code that I don’t understand.

My advice: Refrain from using AI generated code in the Processing editor. Embrace the friction that your own limitations creates. This makes your work human. Ask yourself: Do I create a black box here? Keep your focus on the basic building blocks of the code. If you really feel the urge, you can use a chatbot to ask questions. However, be sure to write down the answers in a notebook (analogue or digital), as this will help you remember answers and have them at your fingertips.