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I compare this mentally to:

* autotesting music for 'hit worthy' == music blandifies to the bangers and you never get interesting voices any more. but .. it works (for profit)

* kindle genres like 'in the style of' and the tendency to more and more but worse and worse in fiction because.. it works (for profit)

* politics descending to the lowest grab, not the highest goal.

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The problem is decline in elitism(in the arts, in politics, in the academy..) but nobody wants to hear that in these populist times. Democracy+markets are working extremely well for the masses, giving them exactly what they want.

Ted Gioia the music critic has made a lot of good observations on these issues. In particular, artists, intellectuals and politicians of old used to lead, persuade, and pull their audience along with them. Today, everyone simply panders.

Strong agree, but said hypocritically as a net beneficiary of the degree dilution of the 70s and 80s.

so what kind of algorithm would lead to the best outcome?

How about a heuristic instead of an algorithm.

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