"Generative AI" is not what you think it is

A critical breakdown of what 'generative AI' actually means technically, arguing that the term deliberately obscures the reality of how these systems work. Covers the distinction between procedural generation and machine learning, explains how models like MidJourney and ChatGPT require massive datasets obtained through scraping (framed as theft), discusses hallucination and lack of true reasoning, the inability to fully control outputs, the impossibility of genuine creativity, and the significant environmental costs of data centers and GPU manufacturing. Concludes that generative AI primarily serves corporate interests at the expense of artists, consumers, and the environment.