This morning, I played around with an AI app for creating music.
I wrote some lyrics. Then, quickly and for free, this tool turned them into a bop.
This is the end of the music industry.
Except, of course, that it’s not. We’ll still appreciate human-crafted music and I can prove it.
Chessbots have been better than even the best humans for decades now. There’s no contest. The Stockfish algorithm has an Elo rating about 1000 points higher than the typical Grand Master.
Even so, people still study chess.
They compete against each other for fun. Some even make a career out of it.
If anything, chessbots have made more people able to play chess. Imagine only being able to play against friends or randos. Even with the internet, that could be too difficult or intimidating.
I’m not saying this will be harmless. Many composers might struggle to find work as more folks turn to these tools. Then again, maybe this will spark an appetite for music. I know I’m now thinking about all the ways I can use original songs in what I do. If that leads me to hire a real composer – someone I can guide and direct better than an AI – that’s an extra commission that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
I’m an optimist for what this means for music, even if I don’t envy musicians.
Anyway, here are some handcrafted, human-made, lovingly created links: