Why Theodore Sturgeon’s 90% rule matters more in the age of AI

“90% of everything is crap” is one of those lines that is frequently repeated but rarely understood in its original context. The phrase is known as Sturgeon's Law, named after American science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon. But Sturgeon did not coin it to dismiss science fiction or suggest that most creative work was worthless.He used the argument for almost the opposite reason. For years, Sturgeon had heard critics attack science fiction by pointing to its weakest examples and using them to condemn the entire genre. His response was simple: if 90% of science fiction is poor, then roughly 90% of everything else is poor too.The argument behind Sturgeon's LawAt a 1953 science fiction convention in Philadelphia, Sturgeon reportedly challenged the way critics judged entire genres by their weakest material.Mystery fiction could be judged by its finest work. Westerns had acclaimed novels and films.