Recently Paul McCartney warned about AI. Reported from the Guardian, Paul said:
“We[’ve] got to be careful about it because it could just take over and we don’t want that to happen particularly for the young composers and writers [for] who, it may be the only way they[’re] gonna make a career. If AI wipes that out, that would be a very sad thing indeed.”
Indeed AI has the capability to take over certain musician’s careers. Maybe not the Beyonce’s of the world, but if you’re making jingles and sync music, I can see AI stepping on that territory.
Some artist don’t seem to worried about it. Raphael Saadiq in an interview with Music Business Worldwide said:
“I’m not nervous about it. There are people doing some amazing things with AI. I’m not against it, but I don’t want to use it. I’d rather just figure it out the way I’ve been figuring it out.
He additionally added:
I love the technology, it’s amazing. But I don’t think it’s going to write *Let It Be*. It’s not going to write *Try A Little Tenderness*. So, knowing that it’s not going to do that, I know I can’t get the best out of me if I’m using AI.
He does warn that the musicality of the business is getting lost in the business.
The Line Between Music Production and Art
I think that’s where the line is shaking out. AI is great to help an artists. Timbaland partnered with AI company Suno. He likens AI as more of a tool, similar to Auto-Tune. Another tool in your arsenal that still requires a human component.
But companies using artists work to train AI without 1) their consent and 2) compensation seems to be the draw for many artists. Even though McCartney made those statements, he still used AI (for vocal separation) for the latest Beatles track.
Or as Timbaland may say - he used a tool - to help create the latest Beatles track.
The human component is vital to all of music it seems. Raphael Saadiq seems to understand this.
It reminds of of an excerpt from Rick Rubin's book talking about intention in work. The effort made is a truth of the human and is embedded in the work. If it’s not, the work is just an ornamental shell.
Music with human work and intention becomes art. Simply AI generated music is a shell of true art. Yes there might be a place for it, but it’ll never be the highest form of art we’ve come to love.