Compton’s “10,000 Bowls of Oatmeal Problem” talks about an aesthetic challenge that is often seen in creating generative content. While an algorithm might be able to generate different results, they may not always be perceived as different. Based on the purpose of the generative content, uniqueness has different levels of importance in determining the effectiveness of the generator.
“Perceptual differentiation” and “perceptual uniqueness” are the two criteria that Compton used to evaluate the generative results. “Perceptual differentiation” only requires the results to be not identical. In cases that need a large group of generative results without the need of highlighting specific characteristics, like a crowd of people or a school of fish to fill as background, differentiation is enough. While for cases that require distinct differences, like generating game characters, uniqueness should be taken into consideration while setting up the generative process.
To overcome the “10,000 Bowls of Oatmeal Problem”, we need to consider the purpose of the generator, whether the results should be seen as unique or simply identical, and adjust the constraints of the generative process based on the requirements.