IN THE COURT OF THE AI KING
Satan as a rule addresses us with a smile and does his horrors in a melancholic mood.
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The two pictures (cover and inside) of the 1969 rock classic album In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson are today more relevant than ever. They were made by Barry Godber, a computer programmer who was friendly with the band’s lyricist Peter Sinfield and who just drew images as a hobby. Godber created the images after listening to the early recordings of the album and gave them to Sinfield, who
“arrived at the studio with the now-famous painting tucked under his arm. The band was immediately captivated by what Godber had produced. The painting—said to be based on his own reflection in a mirror—perfectly encapsulated the raw emotion and otherworldly themes of the album. The central figure, The Schizoid Man, dominates the outer cover with a scream so visceral you can almost hear it. This striking visual power compelled many to purchase the album without knowing anything about its contents. Inside the gatefold, listeners were introduced to another character: The Crimson King. Round-faced and bald, he appears serene and jovial at first glance, but a closer look reveals unsettling details, like his melancholy eyes and sharp canines. Together, these two characters embody the shifting moods of the album—jarring and chaotic on one side, melodic and tranquil on the other.”1
I see in these two images the face of the individual caught in an AI agent, and the way he experiences/personalizes the AI agent who dominates him, which is none other than Satan himself. The visceral scream is a quite appropriate image of an individual becoming aware of how totally he is manipulated by AI agents; but even more interesting is the “Crimson King,” whose benevolent smile and melancholy eyes cover up the violence betrayed by the sharp canines – Satan as a rule addresses us with a smile and does his horrors in a melancholic mood, as if he is sad that he has to accomplish his perverted duty of tearing our flesh with his sharp teeth. So who is Satan?
