Why strive? Stephen Fry reads Nick Cave’s letter on the threat of computed creativity

In the events series Letters Live, performers read notable letters – old and new, original and written by others – in front of a live audience. In this video, as part of the Letters Live event at London’s Royal Albert Hall in November 2023, the British comedian and writer Stephen Fry reads a letter by the Australian musician Nick Cave on what Cave sees as ChatGPT’s potential to erode the human soul – with the AI chatbot presumably also standing in for any other generative AI systems that might replace human-created art. As Cave’s letter articulates how foregoing the struggle of creation risks destroying the ‘collective, essential and unconscious human spirit’, his characteristically masterful writing combined with Fry’s powerful reading serve as a reminder of the value and vitality of human creativity.

Via Open Culture