07/05/2026
One of the questions that I have been getting a lot recently is "Will AI replace Magic?"
I've thought long and hard about it because of my pioneering work with technology and I started at the time where the industry dismissed iPad Magic as simply visual effects, not-magic and app (not skill) based. The sentiments have changed since and my iPad Magic is a highly sought after form of magic.
Same with AI, I believe that in its current application, it will not take over magic (and neither did iPad Magic "take over" magic - it simply became a genre on its own).
Though with thought and clever applications, AI will assist and elevate magic as long as it is combined with sleight of hand and layered with deception.
I gave a lecture at my local IBM meeting 10 years ago in 2016 where I spoke about the thinking behind iPad Magic. The rule I apply is "Can current technology achieve it?". And if the answer is no, it is a good litmus test that the audience will appreciate it for its magic qualities rather than dismissing it as technology or AI.
For example, I designed a piece of magic where a coin on the iPad appears in a spectator's hand. Rationally, no amount of technology can teleport a digital object and make it appear in a closed fist (not yet at least). In contrast, an app that makes an image of a card appear with a few swipes, after it is made known, can easily be attributed to coding and technology making it not magical.
The same applies with AI, that is, the magic has to be impossible and not easily attributed to technological advancement. Only then AI is combined to elevate magic,
Lastly, there is one thing that AI can never replace and that is the raw human emotions: of amazement, of anticipation, the emotional payoff from following a plot and the collective experience of watching magic live together.
But who knows how far AI can go, would you watch a humanoid do incredible magic tricks?
