AI won't replace magicians, but it may reshape live entertainment - opinion

Arthur C. Clarke's observation that advanced technology can seem like magic has taken on a new meaning for Matan Rosenberg, a magician who fears for his profession.

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Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Rosenberg, who dedicated years to mastering intricate sleight of hand, notes that the true skill lies in precise micro-muscle control, not just speed. He questions whether AI can replicate the nuanced physical dexterity required for magic, likening it to a gymnast's years of training for a single complex move.

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We actually use the hand’s micro-muscles so precisely that we can make a coin vanish, a card disappear without a trace.

While acknowledging AI's advancements in robotics, Rosenberg believes that replicating the full spectrum of a performing magician's abilities, adapting to audiences, improvising humor, and connecting with people, is beyond current AI capabilities. He estimates he might have a decade or more before AI could potentially perform such feats.

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The threat isn’t that AI will perform better than magicians.

However, Rosenberg's deeper concern is not about AI performing magic, but about AI's pervasive influence on audience behavior. He worries that AI's sophisticated algorithms, designed to capture and hold attention, could erode the impulse for people to leave their homes for live entertainment. The fear is that perfectly calibrated digital dopamine loops might make live theater, concerts, and even magic shows seem less appealing than constant online engagement.

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The threat is that it will train audiences to stop wanting to be in the room at all.