AI: The New Boogeyman of the Music World

Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room: AI.

Everyone’s shitting bricks over AI, and I know it’s all anyone seems to talk about at times. The doomsayers are out in full force predicting the end of human creativity, the decay of the internet, the inevitable decline into apostasy and utter global meltdown. Just very non-hysterical stuff.

On the other hand, you’ve got “AI artists” and AI music. AI copy and AI writing, AI research and so on and so forth. It’s the tool of the future that works ever so perfectly and it’s so great and that’s why you should pay lots of money for programs that are so helpful.

Whenever I hear the screeching of the howler monkeys (ie., what passes for debate these days) over each new major technological advancement, the phrase “Nino, you worry a too much” always comes to mind:

Courtesy of Perry Bible Fellowship

Between the hysterical hair-pulling and clothes-tearing, and the epic, inevitable fuck ups of technology, try and take a balanced view.

First, let’s take a look at what’s really happening.

AI and Music: Falling Short

AI isn’t the smoking gun people are making it out to be. Case in point: Drake using AI to deepfake Tupac in his diss against Kendrick Lamar.

Drake dropped a track called “Taylor Made Freestyle,” featuring AI-generated vocals of Tupac and Snoop Dogg. The idea was to get under Kendrick’s skin, but it backfired spectacularly. Tupac’s estate threatened to sue, calling it a blatant abuse of Tupac’s legacy. Drake had to pull the track, but not before it spread like wildfire online​​.

This whole fiasco is a perfect example of how emerging tech can be used in a dumb way. AI might have the potential to revolutionize the industry (and not in a good way), but it’s also capable of producing cringeworthy, inauthentic garbage when misused. Drake’s attempt to leverage AI ended up looking more like a desperate gimmick than a clever move.

The History of Doomsaying

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of panic. Every technological leap comes with its own set of Chicken Littles. Remember when synthesizers were supposed to kill off real instruments? Or when MTV was supposed to spell the end for radio stars? Spoiler alert: they didn’t.

When synths hit the scene, purists screamed that they’d destroy “real” music. Instead, they gave us entire new genres, from synth-pop to electronic.

What about MTV? Video killed the radio star? Hardly. It just added a new layer to the music experience, giving artists a visual medium to express their art.

The shift from analog to digital recording had many predicting the death of authentic music production. Instead, it democratized music production, making it more accessible and affordable for independent artists.

Platforms like Spotify were feared to kill album sales. Instead, they transformed music consumption, offering artists a new way to reach global audiences and generate revenue through streaming.

Now, have each of these brought about a shitload of unintended consequences? Of course they have. But look at who benefitted.

Early Adopters: Shaping the Future

Here’s the kicker: the early adopters, the ones who embrace new tech, are the ones who shape how it integrates into our culture. AI is no different. It’s a tool, not a replacement. The artists who leverage it creatively will push boundaries and set trends.

Always ahead of the curve, Björk has been experimenting with AI to create unique soundscapes. She’s not replacing her creativity with AI; she’s enhancing it.

Using AI to collaborate on her album “PROTO,” Herndon shows how AI can be a creative partner, not a competitor.

Playing With Fire

Let me be clear: there is absolutely danger whenever a new technology comes along. The phrase “unintended consequences” is something that large regulators (at least good ones) are always trying to be on the lookout for, and the amount of these is mind boggling. But just because something is about to change the world forever doesn’t mean you get to stop it.

On the flip side, being the first to jump in has its drawbacks. There’s a great Bill Burr sketch about this, using hair plugs as an example:

“You wait it out. Let ’em figure it out. Then you fucking go in. Don’t be a goddamn hero, you know? Look at hair plugs. Hair plugs don’t look half bad now. Saw this guy the other night on TV he’s like, ‘Oh god, I wish I did this 10 years ago,’ it’s like, no you don’t! Ten years ago? When they were stapling ant legs to the top of people’s heads? Remember that? Your eyes would water looking at their hairline. Like, ‘Is that…is that sewn in?! I see pine tar.’ They used to put you in like, a headlock, like, ‘Hold still!’ and use like a nail gun. Guys would tap out after a row and a half, ‘Fuck it! I don’t give a shit!’ You wish you got hair plugs ten years ago… Do you wish you got polio 60 years ago? What else is on your wish list, sir?”

Embrace the Chaos…

So, instead of freaking out, get ahead of the game. AI isn’t here to steal your soul; it’s just here. Whether you use it to offer new ways to express it is up to you. Use it to augment your creativity? Explore new frontiers? Push the envelope? Get banner images that don’t suck but don’t require you to invest thousands of dollars you don’t have so you can get an interesting website launched that will help other artists? (Hitting a little close to home there, admittedly).

Every artist is an alchemist at turning the human condition into expression. Stop getting hung up on what others are telling you, and make your own decisions.

…and Bring Protection

Is AI stealing from other artists? Writers? Creatives? Without a doubt in my mind, yes. But, and here’s a serious caveat: who the fuck hasn’t been copied, emulated, and stolen from in art? Are you going to sit there and tell me Rembrandt didn’t have a literal workshop of his own pumping out the lion’s share of the work? Are you seriously going to moan about honesty in music when the labels and radio stations have been freezing everyone out for decades? It’s the people more astute at promoting themselves who come along and make waves.

It cuts both ways though. Don’t go into this without knowing the vultures that blot out the sun. Don’t be a rube; you’re better than that. Fame is one thing, but whenever you start to talk about real money, that’s when all bets are off as far as human behaviour is concerned. You need to protect yourself, and to do that, you need to be on your A-game. Be smart about how you use AI. Don’t call yourself a creator when all you did was put in a prompt. Don’t use the word writer when all you did was make a request.

But if you use these tools, if you craft and mould them into works that have far greater value than just the first thing to pop out of the vending machine, then you have tapped into the true spirit of the artist. You are someone making fools of the tyrants, and stealing the fire from the gods, my friend. In a world filled with oppressors and victims, the artist needs to be the trickster: always cunning, always scheming, and always keeping their eyes peeled for the next fix.

It’s not what you use, it’s how, and for what.

You ever seen how Gorillaz came up with the hook for their classic hit “Clint Eastwood”? Here:

Interviewer: “It just came like that?” 

Damon Albarn: “That’s it. It’s the preset, it’s the “Rock 1’ preset. [starts preset, clearly the hook in “Clint Eastwood]

Interviewer: [laughs]

Damon Albarn: “But it gets worse, look,” [starts pre-programmed breakbeat, also clearly in “Clint Eastwood”]

Interviewer: [astonished] “Wholesale. Wholsesale.”

Talk about a classic case of work smarter, not harder.

In the end, it’s not about whether AI will take over music—it’s about how we, the artists, will use AI to redefine what music can be. So stop shitting bricks, grab the reins, and be part of the revolution.

And say it with me: “Nino, you worry a too much.”