Cartoon image of people screaming "GAME-CHANGER"

Image created by Gemini AI

My wife, son, and I have been watching “The Righteous Gemstones” on HBO Max – the series was an algorithm-based recommendation after we finished “The White Lotus.” The Gemstones are a family of Christian televangelists led by Walter… uh, sorry (he’ll always be “Walter” from “The Big Lebowski” to me), Eli Gemstone, played by John Goodman. The show exposes the hypocrisy of some of this ilk, but takes it to an extreme, blending the worst of Jim and Tammy-Faye Bakker with scenes out of “The Sopranos.” That’s where “shock value” comes in. The show has so many interesting characters and storylines that the gratuitous violence, while absurdly funny at times, isn’t necessary.

Which brings me to the fawning promotion of Generative Artificial Intelligence on LinkedIn. The constant breathless use of the term “game-changer” by “influencers” every time an AI vendor comes out with their newest “o3 x-squared y-axis” is tiresome. I prompted Google’s Gemini AI, “Please provide me 10 variations of the term ‘game-changer’ that are not already cliche.

Okay, here are 10 less cliché variations of “game-changer”:

  1. A fundamental recalibration: This emphasizes a significant adjustment or re-evaluation of existing systems.
  2. The linchpin alteration: This highlights the change as a crucial element that fundamentally alters the whole.
  3. A tectonic realignment: This suggests a deep and structural shift in the landscape.
  4. The pivotal disruption: This focuses on the critical and unsettling nature of the change.
  5. An epoch-defining moment: This positions the change as something that marks the beginning of a new era.
  6. A categorical departure: This emphasizes a clear and distinct break from previous norms.
  7. The keystone advancement: This highlights the change as essential and supporting everything else.
  8. A generative upheaval: This suggests the change will create significant new possibilities and developments.
  9. The operative pivot: This emphasizes the practical and decisive nature of the change.
  10. A transfiguring innovation: This highlights how the change fundamentally alters the form or appearance of something.

The point is, most AI “news” is simply regurgitated PR and does not rise to the level of being “game-changers,” “tectonic realignments,” or “epoch-defining moments,” yet I always see it. Why? I think it concerns something called “the attention economy.” Again, Gemini AI can describe it better than me:

“The attention economy describes the current state where human attention is a scarce and valuable resource, much like traditional commodities. In a world saturated with information and constant digital stimulation, individuals and businesses fiercely compete to capture and retain our focus. This has led to various strategies, often employing persuasive technologies and content designed for maximum engagement, shaping not only how we consume information and entertainment but also impacting our social interactions, mental well-being, and even political discourse.”

The attention economy is why everything is “BREAKING NEWS” and why the algorithms of social media platforms promote shocking content. They need to keep your eyeballs looking at them for as long as possible to 1. Learn what interests you most, and 2. Serve you ads based on that knowledge.

The last three words of Gemini’s description got my attention, too. The attention economy also helps explain the current shock-and-awe political strategy. While the daily firehose of outrage keeps us rapt, I wonder what worse scenarios are occurring behind the scenes creating an epoch-defining moment, and not in a good way.