There’s a lot happening with Artificial Intelligence in electronic music these days. But let’s get one thing straight: This is not a Cyberdyne scenario – AI has no will of its own. People are having AI emulate a wealth of genres on a somewhat recognizable level in the quest to make music making easily available to anyone whatsoever (and don’t be surprised when the first AI artist is making money in a closed ecosystem of plays and likes).
But don’t worry, AI delivers results like a machine, so why should we care and start judging it as if it were human? It’s just prompt results, rehashing what we put in there in the first place, and will never replace the innovation found in human musical interaction and intent.
It’s just prompt results, rehashing what we put in there in the first place…
Music is a human emotion, it comes from the brain, the heart and the soul and is consumed by the same three powers. So instead of fearing AI will end us all creatively, we might as well choose to ignore it or use it. The end result for people listening to your music is probably the same – no one is wondering how you got that sound, AI music platforms right now are no different than sample libraries and online collections that have you subscribe for access.
AI music would not exist without people behind each program or concept to capitalize on it, so while music can now be prompted with text, first of all the results are very generalized, and you’re still not a musician because you can write into a text box. And the AI is not the artist either.
… you’re still not a musician because you can write into a text box. And the AI is not the artist either.
Someone sat down to define what the words should mean to the machine, so in the end AI has no real power or purpose other than making whatever for whoever. But as a creator you have the power to make something for someone. The dialog is there, music needs listeners, even if it is only yourself. AI does not even listen to itself, it just spits out and waits for the next prompt.
In the near future, stay tuned for a deeper look at how you can use AI music platforms such as Soundraw or Suno, to your advantage. And it’s not by making music using them, it’s by taking back and giving purpose to what they borrowed.
So are we doomed?
How can we tell AI music from human made music? Well, one could certainly see a use for purely AI generated, generalized music in ads, elevators, shopping malls. Background music. But AI music will never have any reason, meaning or intent. That’s impossible. It will only pose results, even if it sounds better mixed than anything you’ve ever heard. There’s no soul in AI music, just get used to it being around and either ignore it or use it to you advantage.
The day we are doomed, however, will be the day we pay to listen to AI music while prompters cash in. Until then, go crazy with AI music and AI functions in the programs you use. It’s all there for you to control, the telltale wrongly wrapped six finger hands of AI graphics will inevitably rear its ugly head in AI music the sooner we get to know its boundaries.
