I’m not sure why it struck me this afternoon, but seeing a semi-colon on a prominent beauty mogul’s arm in a makeup ad was heartening. While I might have been one of the last people in the world to learn the meaning of this symbol, one of my studio art students in grad school educated me about it several years ago in interpreting one of her projects; and while I realize the use of such imagery by celebrities can be performative, its inclusion in this instance felt kind to so many people.

So often, today, we are told to brace ourselves for the rise of AI as machines seem to become ever more capable; and, while I believe the cautions are legitimate, I feel a larger story is being neglected. Corporations, of course, have long operated much like machines, devaluing human and environmental life to the greatest degree possible in the pursuit of profit; and, even though that is changing to a degree, it is only because the leaders of such entities increasingly have no choice but to evolve.

While I have not followed her career closely, I do remember once seeing an interview in which this makeup entrepreneur bravely stood up to a large media corporation, and, partly because I had been trying so hard for so long to stand up to the CNN corporation, I felt at least a little bit encouraged. Every time a person takes a heartfelt stand for the value of human life over the glossy lies corporations have historically marketed to the world, it feels more to me like the race between humanity and machines is being won.

Of course, I still believe that, as AI advances, it is increasingly important that we address market design flaws, such as the arguably devastating communications infrastructure/Wall Street nexus, before they become further calcified by automation; but it’s worth celebrating even halting progress.