From generating lists of gifts for our loved ones to helping with email automatization campaigns at work, artificial intelligence (AI) became a crucial part of our lives. Still, people remain skeptical of it – discussions about ethical issues of using AI are ongoing. The relationship between AI and the music industry is the one that we are looking into today, in this article.
How Can AI Features Be Problematic in the Music Industry?
Music fans most definitely can recall the famous open letter that was released this spring. Over 200 members of the music industry claimed that “this assault on human creativity must be stopped”, which was a natural reaction to the big news that were released by Open AI, a company which is famously known as the creator of Chat GPT.
Why Were the Musicians so Concerned?
Open AI made it known publicly that they are developing a mechanism that is “able to generate a realistic clone of someone’s voice”. Big names in the music industry stepped in – the letter was signed by different generations of idols like Billie Eilish and Stevie Wonder.
It is being emphasized that irresponsible usage of AI could be lethal to most artists that put all their lives to their art and can barely even make ends meet. Basically, it could destroy the whole ecosystem of music, if streaming platforms and tech companies stay passive and turn a blind eye to the signals sent from the creative community.
Does AI Signify an End for a Music Industry?
A British singer songwriter James Blake, who was interviewed by Variety before the OpenAI announcement, sees it similarly. He claims that the whole issue is a philosophical debate and notices that the music ecosystem started crumbling way before the emergence of AI.
The artist compares the use of AI in music with the beginning of the streaming platforms. Apparently, there is not a big difference between these milestones for the musicians – both times artists started feeling the pressure and receiving different treatment for their art.
James Blake introduced a valuable point – streaming culture set the perfect tone for the not so healthy implementation of AI in the music industry. Why? The answer is quite simple – “we become more trained to not care if the music is AI-generated or not, because of the techniques used in the production and we’ve also been trained to actually disconnect the person from the music”.
Final word
By any means, it does not mean that the usage of AI in music should be prohibited. As it is stated in the letter, we must stay responsible. By managing the risks associated with music creation with the help of AI, we as a society can try to protect the artists and enjoy their creativity to the fullest.
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