Could AI bring us more human connection?

My experience of the march of AI has been lumpy. How about you? It comes in a series of ‘good grief’ moments. The latest was today when a guitarist I play with sent me a link to a song the AI platform Udio had produced while he was having lunch. It's a finished song. Recorded. I saw Rick Beato did a show on it on YouTube yesterday. He’s been saying for a long time that if we are willing to allow people who play music to sound like computers, computers will eventually be able to do without humans. This has now happened.

Yesterday, I attended an excellent, global, interactive Zoom session about how AI makes us feel. It’s a twice-weekly forum, and it’s happening again this week; if you’re interested, here it is. I usually go to both sessions, but this Friday, as with the last two, I’m in a recording studio recording folk/ folk-rock music… which, given what I’m about to say, is ironic.

As many will know, I’m an artist and musician, and this latest lump of AI has me both pessimistic and optimistic. I’m pessimistic because popular music has become so formula-written, dumbed down, and computer-corrected that AI will surely provide most of it very soon. AI music is still spottable to very trained ears, but as Rick Beato says, it won’t be soon. People can produce music that sounds like they like or want to hear, produced by their own prompts. For that, they don’t need musicians any more. Optimistic because I’m an artist and a musician and CAN produce original art and performances. I have that skill and experience, and I’m compelled to continue developing it. I’m also a therapist and adviser and fast becoming a philosopher. My skills are entirely human-to-human.

I’m optimistic because I think what AI might do is bring us back together. We will seek connection and genuine, authentic human things. We will want to see live music, played by musicians (DJs, thank goodness, you’re toast – as are the ‘ambient’ laptop-jockeys). Maybe AI can be involved in live music but with skilful players with a good ear making music along with it – the next iteration of jazz? I produce original paintings, and they’re unique to me and tangible. AI can produce art like me, and my style is still developing away from a derivative style of landscape painting. I can produce good quality pottery, but it is slightly flawed, human, and variable. It’s food-safe and useful. I’ll be able to make a lot more once our studio workshop gets built and kitted out later this year 😊.

So, just a short Enough newsletter this time, as it’s really an expanded thought, and rather than produce something finished and rounded, I’m extremely interested in what people think and are willing to offer.

Thank you for reading.