Musings From The Middle
I’ve been asked this question a few times lately, mostly as it relates to the Frank Sinatra AI voice mods that folks on the internet have applied to a few PMJ recordings.
The question calls for a bit more specificity: Am I worried about AI nuking the planet? Only a little. Am I worried about AI being monopolized by bad actors that use it to manipulate and control public opinion? Definitely. Am I worried about generative AI replacing human musicians and human artists? Not in the slightest.
I want to talk about that last question today, since it’s the only one I’m remotely qualified to answer. My short answer is this: No, I’m not worried about generative AI replacing human artists, because AI is not human.
AI can generate content — an endless, awe-inspiring deluge of content, even — but only humans can create art. While it’s difficult to separate the two from one another in our current social media age, I believe the distinction between “content” and “art” will become much more apparent, in time.
More on that later. But first, let’s indulge in a bit of fear mongering, in the form of an article alleging that Spotify is sending its users recommendations for a number of AI-generated tracks. Articles like this are pure rage bait for musicians; as if the meager streaming royalties weren’t bad enough, now Spotify is promoting and playlisting generative AI bands over their flesh-and-blood counterparts?
