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Fried Egg Golf's Joseph LaMagna and Garrett Morrison discuss the growing trend of artificial intelligence in golf, most recently with Duff Foreman.
Joseph LaMagna initiates a discussion on the rapid proliferation of AI and its potential effects on the golf world, particularly golf course architecture. He questions whether AI's influence will lead to design homogeneity or spark a counter-movement valuing originality and imperfection.
Garrett Morrison notes that there's little evidence of AI directly causing greater homogeneity in golf course design. He attributes this to the older generation of top architects' dedication to site-specific, human-driven design and construction methods, suggesting they haven't widely adopted AI tools for critical workflows.
Garrett explains that AI's most significant use in golf architecture is in creating digital renderings. He points out that while consumer-grade text-to-image models can produce detailed images cheaply, their quality is often 'mid' and conventional unless guided by intelligent and creative human input. Examples of both generic and attractive AI-generated golf landscapes are cited.
Garrett argues that the real danger is 'slop'—mass-produced, anodyne digital content—which AI merely supercharges. He draws a historical parallel to the homogenous golf course designs of the 1980s-90s and expresses optimism that the rise of AI-generated 'slop' could trigger a renewed demand for originality, imperfection, and ruggedness in all forms of art, including golf architecture.
Joseph follows up on the discussion by highlighting 'Duff Foreman,' a fabricated AI persona set to join a golf commentary booth. He raises concerns about blurring the lines between reality and fiction by giving machines human faces and personalities, despite the entertainment potential of such bots like the PGA of America’s chatbot.
Garrett concludes the conversation by quoting Jurassic Park, 'Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should,' summarizing his ethical reservations about the unchecked implementation of AI, particularly in creating human-like personas like Duff Foreman.