Podcast: How AI Could Change the Future of Music

Community Hub Artificial Intelligence
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Here is a link to a new podcast that I found informative. The featured guest is a professional music composer and producer who is well informed on the topic and isn’t either a pro- or anti-AI advocate. He hasn’t yet decided whether to use AI in his work.

I’m not a songwriter or producer and haven’t yet formed an opinion on AI in music. However, I stand by my view that it would be a better world if we fueled a race to optimize human intelligence (which is sliding down rapidly in my country) rather than a race to further empower the machines. But then how would the Tech Bros keep grabbing all our money and overloading our minds with digital litter?

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…and that’s a statement I wholeheartedly support and subscribe to. And human intelligence IS sliding down rapidly… certainly not only in your country…
Thanks for posting the link, interesting…

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I agree with the statement 100%. Way too much dumbing down of society these days.

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  1. How can you “optimize” human intelligence? The human has to be willing to learn, ones who are is becoming a rarity. Human nature is to be lazy, to get away with the minimum effort possible to achieve what is needed, isn’t the development of AI systems doing this?
  2. A race to further empower the machines? Machines can only do what you tell them to - unless you give them the ability to think for themselves, that’s where the danger lies. If they become independent of your commands there’s always going to be the possibility of them making the wrong choice, just the same as humans - what’s the difference?
    Personally I am against giving AI independence, it’s too risky but to aid tasks by reducing the human input I don’t really see a real problem.
    As regards music, AI will never replace human intelligence in composition, from that point of view it, at some time in the future, may get very close but in my opinion never replace human input. It, by definition, is unlikely to be able to innovate.
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Well, learning can be fun.
When i went through my school days, i never really enjoyed learning. I just “got by”.
Referring to the lazy human nature… BUT!! Later on, i realized that a great part of that was on the account of the people standing in front of the class.
Later on in life, i met some really interresting people who tought me loads of stuff i wished i knew earlier on in life.
The moment you have somebody who can relate to other people (aka, pre-teens, teens, and on) you have somebody who can teach. And learning becomes fun. (something i missed in my days…).

For now, machines can only do what you tell them. So far so good. Or is it?
When i read this here: https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-fuse-human-brain-cells-electronic-circuits-and-make-it-think, i thought, “o-oh, that doesn’t sound good”.
I’m not a big fan of ai either. It makes humans even more lazy.
It opens the door (or has already) to widespread propagande, false news etc…
The enshittification of the net is partly powered by ai, afaik.

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Now that is word I need to incorporate into my vocabulary!

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@DarrellW I dunno about human beings being inherently lazy. I think folks like to learn, knowledge can beget power/control, and there can be an allure to self determination. Despair is a preeminent motivation killer.

One of the reasons I stick with practicing scales, finger stretching, simplistic off-beat interpretations of songs (which really aren’t fun for me at all–well, the simplified songs become fun), is that I believe it will give me power to create pleasing music, and also I like the feeling of accomplishment, and it is a distraction from the heaviness that can be life.

That having been written, I was also raised in a “you can do anything, as long as you put your mind to it”, [talk about being born with a silver spoon in my mouth]–that upbringing (and discretionary cash and time) allowed me the luxury of even entertaining the idea learning to play an instrument after having lived for 2/3 of a century.

It’s why I like the idea of Justin’s “Playing it Forward”

If we can help those for whom life didn’t provide as easy a path, I think they are more likely to learn to play and help bring more harmony into the world—music can do that, and that in itself is a very positive thing, a strong motivator, and positive feedback loop.

my two bits.

As for AI, I believe it has huge potential--though I believe greater potential for degradation than enhancement. In it’s current state, it produces content by consuming others’ work (without recompense), and consumes massive quantities of power, all the while concentrating wealth ever upward. Much of the joy of music is in its relationship to what it means to be a human being: the song about addiction, Beethoven’s declining health and the 9th symphony, the joy or heartbreak of a relationship, the heart pounding thrill of a techno beat with pulsing lights, the pleasure of watching a lark fly into the sky, the will to change because of feelings laid bare. I believe those qualities will be severely diminished once AI is scraping soundscapes from the internet and regurgitating them back at us ad nauseum

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If we ask AI who is the best musician ever, the result is likely to be Taylor Swift. Pre-packaged commercial popularity and excellence ought not to be equated.

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Here’s my current, “best musician” at making me happy–awesome guitarist, seems to love life, plays with friends also with great skills, great sound engineering, and fun videos. Plays everything from Freddie Mercury to Doc Watson to the Pogues to an 8 part acapella rendition of a Russian Christmas song: Youtube channel for Joshua Turner, guitar

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Why would you single out Taylor though? Writes her own music and as a person is hard to beat. So why her? You want to see pre-packaged commercial music check out todays country music. I don’t even think Taylor is anything close to being pre-packaged. It’s not her fault what the industry has become for the last 40 years, is it?

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Beat me to it :rofl:

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There’s a difference between learning due to enthusiasm and learning because you have to, the two are not usually mutually connected. If I learn something because I want to it’s always going to be something that I will put time into it; if I’m told I have to learn something it’s something that I may not really want to do, maybe because I know that it’s going to encroach on my time learning something that I want to learn.

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Chat GPT says this:
Determining the “best musician ever” is inherently subjective, as musical tastes vary widely. However, several artists have left an indelible mark on music history through their innovation, influence, and enduring legacy:
• Ludwig van Beethoven: A German composer and pianist, Beethoven’s works, such as his nine symphonies and 32 piano sonatas, are cornerstones of classical music.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: An Austrian composer who composed over 600 works, including operas like “The Magic Flute” and “Don Giovanni,” Mozart’s music exemplifies the elegance of the Classical era.
• The Beatles: This British band revolutionized popular music in the 1960s with albums like “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” 
• Elvis Presley: Known as the “King of Rock and Roll,” Presley’s fusion of various musical styles brought rock music into the mainstream. 
• Michael Jackson: Dubbed the “King of Pop,” Jackson’s groundbreaking albums like “Thriller” and innovative music videos set new standards for the industry. 
• Stevie Wonder: A virtuoso musician, Wonder’s influential albums during his “classic period” in the 1970s, including “Innervisions” and “Songs in the Key of Life,” showcased his innovative approach to music. 
• David Bowie: Renowned for his musical reinventions, Bowie’s albums like “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” and “Heroes” have left a lasting impact on rock music. 
• Quincy Jones: A legendary producer and composer, Jones’s career spanned decades, including producing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and composing scores for numerous films and TV shows. He was honored at the 2025 Oscars for his contributions. 

Each of these artists has uniquely shaped the musical landscape, and their influence continues to inspire audiences and musicians worldwide.

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He’s good, I have the same thoughts about my favourite band The Warning, having watched them growing up from kids playing covers to being one of the top new bands in the world - with them it’s single minded hard work and dedication to their craft, they’ve given up so much of their “normal people” lives to achieve what they are today, but more to the point they love what they are doing and are very passionate about pleasing their audiences.

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Here’ s my “best musician” at making me happy-
ME! :rofl:
Nobody else can top that sense of enjoyment/satisfaction/fulfilment of creating music that I get from doing it myself :grinning_face:

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That’s no laughing matter–but the best answer!
I love it! (though, Josh Turner guitar is a “better” musician :wink:

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