Attention
Original: Attention on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Bearded man (gesturing at the other man): YOU MEDIA AND TECH GUYS WILL NEVER REPLACE HUMANITY WITH AI. OUR SHAKESPEARE, MOZART, HITCHCOCK, GOETHE—
Clean-cut man (eyes closed, smiling): YOU'RE SO RIGHT.
Panel 2 (left):
Clean-cut man: FORTUNATELY, YOU NEVER CONSUME ANY OF THAT STUFF.
Panel 3 (right):
Clean-cut man: POINTING OUT THAT MEDIA COMPANIES CAN'T REPLACE MOZART IS LIKE POINTING OUT THAT MCDONALD'S CAN'T REPLACE THAT ONE CANDLELIT DINNER BY THE BEACH ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF YOUR HONEYMOON.
Panel 4 (left):
Clean-cut man: WE DON'T NEED TO BEAT HUMAN CREATIVITY TO WIN. WE ONLY NEED TO COLLECT HUMAN ATTENTION.
Panel 5 (right):
Bearded man (clutching his chest, distressed): I'LL SHOW YOU! I'M GONNA MOVE TO THE WOODS AND HAVE COWS AND A GARDEN AND A FAMILY WHO APPRECIATE ME.
Panel 6 (left):
Clean-cut man (eyes closed, smiling): YOU'RE ALREADY THINKING OF HOW TO VIDEO IT.
Panel 7 (right):
Bearded man (arms spread, anguished): ONLY MOST OF IT! ONLY MOST OF IIIIIIT!
Votey:
Clean-cut man (off-panel speech bubble): SORRY, LEMME DO THAT AGAIN WITH THE CAMERA ON.
(Below: a simple line-art sketch of the bearded man with his arms spread.)
Bearded man (gesturing at the other man): YOU MEDIA AND TECH GUYS WILL NEVER REPLACE HUMANITY WITH AI. OUR SHAKESPEARE, MOZART, HITCHCOCK, GOETHE—
Clean-cut man (eyes closed, smiling): YOU'RE SO RIGHT.
Panel 2 (left):
Clean-cut man: FORTUNATELY, YOU NEVER CONSUME ANY OF THAT STUFF.
Panel 3 (right):
Clean-cut man: POINTING OUT THAT MEDIA COMPANIES CAN'T REPLACE MOZART IS LIKE POINTING OUT THAT MCDONALD'S CAN'T REPLACE THAT ONE CANDLELIT DINNER BY THE BEACH ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF YOUR HONEYMOON.
Panel 4 (left):
Clean-cut man: WE DON'T NEED TO BEAT HUMAN CREATIVITY TO WIN. WE ONLY NEED TO COLLECT HUMAN ATTENTION.
Panel 5 (right):
Bearded man (clutching his chest, distressed): I'LL SHOW YOU! I'M GONNA MOVE TO THE WOODS AND HAVE COWS AND A GARDEN AND A FAMILY WHO APPRECIATE ME.
Panel 6 (left):
Clean-cut man (eyes closed, smiling): YOU'RE ALREADY THINKING OF HOW TO VIDEO IT.
Panel 7 (right):
Bearded man (arms spread, anguished): ONLY MOST OF IT! ONLY MOST OF IIIIIIT!
Votey:
Clean-cut man (off-panel speech bubble): SORRY, LEMME DO THAT AGAIN WITH THE CAMERA ON.
(Below: a simple line-art sketch of the bearded man with his arms spread.)
Alt text
A seven-panel SMBC comic. A bearded man in a suit argues with a calm, smiling clean-cut man in a jacket. Bearded man: media and tech guys will never replace humanity with AI — 'our Shakespeare, Mozart, Hitchcock, Goethe—'. The clean-cut man, eyes shut and smug, replies 'You're so right. Fortunately, you never consume any of that stuff.' He explains that pointing out media companies can't replace Mozart is like saying McDonald's can't replace one candlelit honeymoon dinner by the beach — 'We don't need to beat human creativity to win. We only need to collect human attention.' The bearded man, clutching his chest, vows to move to the woods with cows, a garden, and a family who appreciate him. The clean-cut man, still serene, says 'You're already thinking of how to video it.' In the final panel the bearded man stands small in the dark, arms flung wide, wailing 'Only most of it! Only MOST of iiiiiit!' Votey (aftercomic): a speech bubble reads 'Sorry, lemme do that again with the camera on,' above a rough sketch of the bearded man with arms spread.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.