Will Douglas Heaven, a technology journalist, has recently expressed a keen interest in the work of Spanish drummer Jorge Garrido, known online as El Estepario Siberiano. Heaven discovered Garrido's YouTube channel, which features high-energy drum covers of popular songs, through his daughter. Garrido's performances are notable for their speed and technical skill, prompting numerous reaction videos from other musicians.

Heaven highlighted Garrido's dedication to his craft, noting the drummer's admission of spending countless hours practicing daily for years. He sees this commitment as a counterpoint to the increasing prevalence of automation. "At a time when machines appear to do it all, there's a kind of defiance in that level of human effort," Heaven stated. He particularly enjoys Garrido's covers of electronic music, where the drummer's performance surpasses the capabilities of drum machines. As an example, Heaven cited Garrido's rendition of Skrillex and Missy Elliott's "Ra Ta Ta."

Heaven is also closely following the evolution of generative video models, particularly OpenAI's Sora. He described experiencing a sense of unease when viewing Sora-generated videos depicting unusual scenarios, such as Michael Jackson stealing chicken nuggets or Sam Altman interacting with a Pikachu. This reaction, he suggests, stems from the technology's ability to create realistic but ultimately artificial content, placing viewers in what he terms the "uncanny valley." The uncanny valley is a hypothesis in aesthetics which holds that anthropomorphic objects which imperfectly resemble actual human beings provoke uncanny or strangely familiar feelings of eeriness and revulsion in observers.

The development of AI video generation tools like Sora has significant implications for the media and entertainment industries. While these tools offer new creative possibilities, they also raise concerns about the potential for misuse and the blurring of lines between reality and simulation. Heaven's interest in this area reflects the broader tech community's ongoing debate about the ethical and societal impact of rapidly advancing AI technologies.