A couple of months ago, I was round at some friends' for the evening — drinks, nibbles, good company. Someone put on music. It was country rock, upbeat and really quite good. I found myself genuinely enjoying it. After a while I asked who the band was.

"Oh, it's AI," my friend said. "They're not actually real."

There’s a saying that echoes through the creative world: “I could have done that.” Stand in front of almost any piece of modern art, any striking photograph, any unexpected composition, and someone nearby will say it. And they’re probably right — they could have done it. But they didn’t. That’s the whole point.