The Implications of AI-Generated Music
Artificial intelligence has been the talk of the town for the last year or so. Opinions on the matter are like a middle school dance: boys on one side of the room, girls on the other. Shitty metaphor, I know, but the point is you either think it’s going to make you completely obsolete or it’s going to revolutionize human efficiency, creativity, and quality. There’s no in between, and musicians are no exception.
About a year ago, the music world was flipped on its head when a partially AI-generated song titled “Heart on My Sleeve” was released. The vocals mimicked those of Drake and The Weeknd, and it gained a ton of traction on TikTok. As you can probably imagine, Universal Music Group wasn’t a big fan of it, so they issued takedown notices to all streaming platforms pretty quickly.
Now, your first thought might be, “Good thing. You shouldn’t pirate hard-working musicians’ voices,” and I’d say you’re right.
But let’s not avoid the facts here. This is an original song. The beat, AI-Generated or organic, is created within the closed mathematical system of musical theory. The lyrics to the track were written by the random guy who released it (now referred to as “Ghostwriter”). The song was released legally and through authentic streaming services. Ghostwriter didn’t say it was by Drake or The Weeknd. The track was even submitted and deemed creatively eligible for Grammy consideration (though it was ultimately removed due to the fact that it wasn’t released commercially). What’s the crime?
Here’s where it gets sticky. This is a prime example of the collision of innovation and tradition; of the clash between the established norms of creativity and the uncharted territories of AI-generated art. "Heart on My Sleeve" blurs the lines between authenticity and imitation, challenging our preconceived ideas of what constitutes legitimate artistic expression.
So, where am I going with this?
I think it’s all a contradictory shitstorm. We’ve got arguments about copyright, about artists’ integrity, about monetization, and so on. People are saying that AI lacks human creativity, and therefore cannot create a respectable piece of art. Some radicals will go as far as to say that using our artforms is the first step of the robots taking over.
But I think everyone’s missing the point.
When Elton John realized he couldn’t write for shit, he enlisted the poetic genius of Bernie Taupin. When Johnny Cash’s life was in the gutter, he had Rick Rubin to pull him out and help him return to his musical roots. When Eminem decided that he wanted the chorus for “Love the Way You Lie” to be sung, he put Rihanna to the task. Does that take away from any of these legendary performers’ creative ability? Absolutely not.
There’s nothing wrong with receiving a little help. Creativity isn’t just raw, unheard of thought. It’s the culmination of things an artist has seen, heard, or felt, and the result is something that might not stand out from all other creations, but will definitely depict the thought in the artist’s preferred manner. Just because the artist might not have created the result entirely on their own doesn’t mean it’s any less artistic. All art is based on past creation, which is influenced by creation that preceded that creation, which is derived from all prior creation.
(Part four of Everything is a Remix by Kirby Ferguson offers a much better explanation of this concept.)
AI has been thrust into music, and it’s showing no signs of stopping. We’re going to experience all kinds of legal issues and creative discrepancies, and it’s gonna go on for a long, long time.
However, I think we need to try and be the brave ones at that middle school dance. Let’s not be afraid to step onto the dance floor and leave it all out there. To understand the implications of AI in music, we need to have some level-headed discourse and come to an understanding of both sides. Who knows? Maybe you might get your opinion swayed. Or, I could be completely wrong and we’re gonna be hiding from the Terminator in ten years.
We’ll see, I guess…
