An AI-generated world? Let’s talk about it.
March 2024
I watched an online symposium recently about musical creativity and AI and… I have thoughts.
In one sense, it's incredible how fast the technology is developing, its current capabilities, and its potential in the future.
It's also disconcerting.
The NYT test, “Which Faces Were Made by A.I.?” (I received an embarrassingly low score.)
The news of an AI-generated artwork winning a fine arts competition (is that even allowed?!)
The increasing number of AI-generated photos showing up on Pinterest that aren't real.
^^All of this leads us to ask, “What is real? And how can we be certain?"
There's no denying the powerful capabilities of Generative AI and its potential to support and enable our work as musicians, teachers, thinkers, writers, and creators.
It can:
generate ideas based on simple prompts
synthesize and analyze data in seconds
design custom art and graphics in any style based on a series of text prompts
write emails, scripts, articles, and more that sound like you
create custom landscapes and photos based on simple commands and text prompts
use your voice to sing like you
write original music compositions
(Just to name a few things.)
But I think it's important for us to consider: Is it helpful or hurtful? Are we using it as a tool to help us work more efficiently or as a substitute for our own skills and creativity?
The power, it seems, is not in AI itself but in how we choose to use it.
There's a difference, I think, between having an original thought or creative idea and having the patience, experience, problem-solving abilities, mindset, skills, and technique to bring it to life.
There's a difference between having full control of our entire creative process and direction and outsourcing a substantial amount of that to a machine. What are we losing or giving away in the process?
Being a musician means you express what you feel, understand, and internalize through music. It's a reflection of what you're experiencing in body, mind, and spirit. And it's unique to you.
This is what makes music so powerful, so captivating. This is why it moves us, resonates with us, and helps us feel so connected and engaged.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Your creativity matters. It's what makes you, you.
The way you see the world, what inspires you, what informs and influences your musical expression, your teaching style, your writing, and all the other facets and dimensions of your creativity—this is an *important* and valuable part of who you are.
AI may be able to imitate you, but it can never replace you.
Thank you for listening to my TED Talk. 🙈 Thoughts? Reactions? Feelings? I'd love to know what questions you're pondering and how you're choosing to navigate this changing landscape.
