[pompeyjazz]

Would be interesting to get your guy’s opinions on the increasing infiltration of AI technology in music. The whole thing seems to be gathering pace at an incredible rate and I’m sure that will accelerate even more in the near future. At the moment it seems that AI is pretty good at churning out the predictable sort of shite that is the mainstay of modern music (My apologies if! that is your type of music) But I’m wondering where it’s all going? What is going to be the effect on us musician guys ? Do we embrace the new technology as another tool in the musicians toolbox or go another way. This stuff ain’t going away so be interesting to hear your thoughts

[CorkingCrackBand]

It can be a difficult one - all these various conversations about AI and various industries and pursuits. It's knowing where on the line between 'this could make our lives better and 'oh my god, we're going to be fed alive into the mouth of our great giant machine god' to sit.

   As artists we will be free to do as we please and the big changes will be in how industries move around these things. In principle, I don't mind the idea of 'using' AI - I wouldn't myself as it would feel a bit like cheating to have it write for me but I can imagine, for example, humming a melody and having it work out what genre it might suit - for example. I imagine that sort of thing is already possible. Basically, personally not against the principle of AI - however I doubt I'd use it in any significant musical capacity. If others wanted to, good for them, though I would probably feel there was a degree of inauthenticity to someone's work who relied on it lots. I know when I sometimes use premade drums I feel I cheated and it never sits right with me. Horses for courses, obviously - that's just my feeling. I think it could be a boon for live music as 'authenticity' become big but we'll see - it could very well not.



CCB

[Wicked Deeds]

Hello John, @pompeyjazz,

AI songwriters

Songwriting has allowed me to know myself and especially my emotions in the most extraordinary way. I don't think that there are any thoughts that I have left unexplored from every possible angle. In fact I'm not sure if I could embark upon this journey from the beginning, all over again. No wonder Radiohead penned 'Paranoid Android.' AI technology invites me to think of a computer overloaded with emotional baggage. Of course that would never happen. AI technology would make sense of the human condition.The task of understanding and dealing with the emotions associated with being human is immense. I guess I've just concluded what will be lost through AI technology driven writing. It is the human element that gives music it's emotional authenticity. Emotion conveyed by AI technology can only mimic the emotions that people feel through their experiences.

Paul

[pompeyjazz]

A couple of interesting responses. I think you’re both right in saying that the human emotional aspect of songwriting could never be replaced, but when it comes to producing pop fodder for the casual listener AI has it stitched up !

[Wicked Deeds]

Hello John,l @pompeyjazz,

That's my take on writing original music but I agree, A I will continue to be used in composition. It does have a place. I listened to the following recently. A McCartney's solo song has been given the Beatles treatment by AI and it wouldn't in my opinion be out of place on the Sergeant Pepper's album.
I don't think many people would be against hearing more songs embracing this technology to hear their musical heroes again.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/faroutmagazine.co.uk/ai-has-recreated-john-lennon-and-paul-mccartneys-solo-songs-as-beatles-tracks/%3famp

[MichaelA]

Hi Paul & John, that Beatles pastiche is amazing. But so far, it still took a human to come up with the backbone of the tune and the lyrics.

If we get to the point when A1 can write the heart tugging tunes or poignant lyrics of humans, then I will personally mourn the loss of the value of our humanity. Because at that point, I guess, everything we do - even when stretching to the high level of our emotional intellect - could be ‘manufactured’ by unfeeling AI. Now that is scary.

As some of you know, I write novels. And AI is coming for that too! Surely we should stop all of this now while we still can. In the news, the head of Google AI resigned only a few days ago because he recognised all of this was becoming out of control.

If AI gets to the point it can write better songs and books than me - well that’s the point I give up. I guess I will become a consumer, not a writer/composer. But at that point, a whole lot of my humanity - and who I am - would have been stolen.

I can’t understand why some humans are creating technology to replace ourselves! They aren’t thinking this through, obviously.

[pompeyjazz]

It’s a fucking scary scenario @MichaelA and apparently it’s growing at an incredible rate. When the Internet first appeared there were many people who believed it would never take off but AI is here and we have to learn how to live with it. I read an interesting article the other day that set a scenario where you asked AI to continuously make paper clips using all available resources, so eventually of course it wiped out the world consuming everything there was, but of course there was a ready supply of paper clips for the Martians to use

[MichaelA]

Hopefully I won’t be alive to see the AI version of @pompeyjazz. Come on, no artificial intelligence is going to recreate that complex ball of unpredictable creativity!

Nah, not having it! 😉

[kevysc]

@pompeyjazz  I went back to college a couple of years ago to do a post-grad in AI and it's area that really fascinates me. What amazes me is that when you look under the hood, current AI is really not that intelligent ( it's basically predictive statistics), yet it is able to produce astonishing results.

Just like at the dawn of the Internet, I suspect none of us know where it will lead, but I tend to think it will become yet another enabling tool (where would we be without synths, DAWs, Virtual Instruments, MP3s etc etc etc ).

In the short run, it offers incredible creative opportunities (e.g. some of the AI generated videos, would you like to duet with Lou Reed, ideas for lyrical themes etc etc etc.)

Bring it on, exciting stuff!

Kevin