Boris Marinin​

AI is often described as a tool, a product, or even a godlike presence. But none of these definitions really explain what AI is becoming. It’s not a person and it’s not just software. AI is an environment. It’s something we interact with, shape, and respond to in real time.

More specifically, AI is becoming an environment of desire.

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Desire Is Not a Fixed Target

When people use AI, they aren’t just looking for answers or solutions. They’re expressing something deeper. They’re interacting with a system in ways that reflect curiosity, emotion, control, confusion, and sometimes even power.

This is where it becomes more complex. Fulfilling desire will lead to enjoyment. But desire isn’t a clear or fixed thing. It shifts as we engage with it. Desire isn’t the same as need. It’s the space between need and want. The simulation of desire is what I name the sublime. This is based on an academic thesis I wrote during my MFA, where I explored the idea of simulated desire in digital environments. It’s a simulation of fulfilling what we want but don't need.

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The Sublime Is a Safe Simulation of Intensity

Consider a thunderstorm. Standing outside during one can be dangerous. But watching one through a window is enjoyable. The same is true for horror films. People don’t enjoy real violence or danger. But in a cinema, when it’s clearly not real, they enjoy the feeling of fear.

In video games, players simulate extreme experiences. They shoot, die, and restart. But the emotional stakes are contained. Nobody wants that to happen in real life.

This is the point. People want the simulation of intensity, not the reality. They want emotional engagement that feels real, while still being controlled.

AI is now becoming the newest environment where that simulation plays out.

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AI Is the New Platform for the Sublime

People who use AI aren’t just trying to get tasks done. Often, they want to test limits. They want emotional or intellectual stimulation. They want the system to reflect something back to them. They want intensity in a controlled space.

This includes feelings of surprise, mystery, recognition, and controlled risk. AI is becoming a platform for this kind of experience, much like film or gaming.

People don’t always want direct answers. They want interaction that adapts and responds, without being predictable. They want a space where their thoughts feel meaningful. This kind of environment isn’t built through logic alone. It’s built through emotional design.

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The Role of Structure and Rules

To make this kind of experience work, there have to be rules. Just like in other high-stakes or emotionally intense environments, certain boundaries must be in place. These include safety, consistency, and mutual understanding.

In user experience terms, this means the system should not cause real harm. It should behave in ways that make sense to the user. And the user should know what kind of experience they’re entering into.

Without these rules, the experience becomes chaotic. If AI breaks expectations too often, or too aggressively, users lose trust. The environment collapses.

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Reward Schedules Keep the Experience Engaging

In psychology and game design, we talk about reward schedules. These are patterns that determine when and how people receive feedback or positive results. There are four common types:

1. Fixed ratio: a reward comes after a set number of user actions

2. Variable ratio: a reward comes after a random number of user actions

3. Fixed interval: a reward comes after a set amount of time

4. Variable interval: a reward comes after a random amount of time

These schedules create engagement. They manage the balance between predictability and surprise. AI can use similar techniques to keep interaction emotionally interesting without being manipulative.

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What Are the Actual Rewards?

In the context of AI, the rewards don’t have to be points or coins. They can be simple moments of satisfaction. A sentence that’s unusually insightful. A phrase that feels like it understands you. A creative twist in the conversation. A moment of unexpected clarity. We can be very creative here with video, image, or sound and take inspiration from cinema, gaming, or other forms of contemporary art.

These are the types of emotional responses that keep people coming back. And they don’t happen automatically. They require careful design.

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This Is Why Creative People Are Essential

Building these kinds of interactions isn’t just about engineering. It’s about understanding people. Writers, filmmakers, game designers, and artists already know how to build these emotional structures. They understand how to create tension, how to deliver satisfaction, and how to guide a user through a meaningful experience.

The future of AI needs this. Not just technically skilled developers, but creatively skilled thinkers who know how to work with emotion, narrative, and attention.

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Why this matters

AI is becoming an environment. It’s not just about what it can do, but about how it feels to use or experience it. As people spend more time in AI-based systems, the emotional and symbolic design of those systems becomes just as important as the functionality.

If we want AI to be something more than a lifeless tool, we need creative people involved in shaping its experience. Not just for aesthetics or entertainment, but to make the system humanly engaging, safe, and sustainable.

To build the future of AI, we don’t just need systems that function. We need experiences that feel. That’s where creative people come in.

 

 

PS: If you are using this article for something, please reference me ;)