fantomas

But I think it changes everything we think and feel about music. How it resonates with us on a personal level. Can we have the same attachment to an AI Axl as we do to the real thing? I don't have the answers, but I find the whole subject fascinating. My biggest concern is the applications outside of music and the potential for destructive abuse. I'm not talking Skynet, I'm taking terrorists or threats to national or global security. I think the music element of voice replication is just the tip of the iceberg. As I've said, this is a really cool discussion.

I think the time to prevent damage to music and art has passed. We can't cherry pick which parts of the discussion we want to have. The applications of AI technology are widespread and potentially dangerous and I think the cons far outweigh the pros at this point. This is a really discussion though, so thanks for that.

And that is the crossroads we are going to find ourselves at in the very near future. My concern is that conversation is going to come up faster than we realize.

When has humanity ever used tech in responsible ways? We invent something new and within six months it's used to either steal, exploit or fuck. We can barely be trusted with the tech we can control, AI is opening a Pandora's Box that we will not be able to close when it's fully opened. Right now, it's making John Lennon sing Green Day songs, which is cute and all, but how soon before it's being utilized for something more ominous? The simulation of voice combined with bad actors is going to cause so many problems that any potential good that comes from AI is going to be erased. Then add that to de-aging or face simulation tech, and we have people saying things that could cause all kinds of problems. How do you believe what you see and hear when you can't differentiate between what's fake and what's real? In a utopian society it would be used to create, but in reality, it's going to be used by criminals and politicians to lie, back track, and point fingers even more than they do now. We're already divided by politics. This is not going to do anything to improve things. We all know it won't be limited to the arts. When AI creators are already starting to speak out on their concerns, we're standing on the edge of a precipice. As I said, when I heard AI Oasis for the first time, I was at once excited and terrified. This isn't going to end well. Right now, AI music gives us some really cool "What ifs". If only it would stop there.

Exactly this. I mean, I liked Hard Skool, but do we really think that or Absurd are the big guns? I have heard all of the unreleased CD demos, and there is nothing earthshattering there. There's a reason they were left unfinished. We don't need more subpar CD leftovers. It's time to strat fresh. If indeed Axl still can.

Midjourney is nothing more that typing /imagine (prompt) Therefore AI art is about as lazy as it gets. Especially given that much of it harvests from existing artwork. There's already plenty of lawsuits doing the rounds from artists whose work has been stolen. AI music dangles its toe over a moral and ethical line. Who should use it? Estates of dead celebrities? Artists who can no longer sing? Artists who can't be bothered to sing? Fans? Record labels? Yes, it is a powerful tool, almost too powerful. Unchecked it is going to cause all kinds of legal issues.

You're looking at this wrong. It's not about keeping people down. If everyone can create art without any artistic skill, why would we need real artists? Can you fully appreciate art made by a computer versus that made by a human? Music, drawings or otherwise? You can't because it's soulless. There's no meaning or depth behind it. It's an algorithm. There's a reason why only some people can sing, play a guitar, write, act, draw. It's a gift and it makes it special. It allows us to make connections with others. If everyone can do it with minimal effort, then it loses all meaning and value. For example, we're here to discuss Gn'R. Their music has brought us together. If the music was made by a computer, how can we relate to it? It's simple. We can't. Most of Appetite works as it's a biography. The band lived that album. A computer generated AFD wouldn't have that same impact, because the core emotion is gone. It's a facade.

That's apples to oranges. You're comparing an invention that was designed with the sole intention of allowing people to communicate over long distances. Yes, AI is lazy. I stand behind that statement. It is allowing people with no artistic talent to create art from simply typing in a prompt. If you start making art accessible to everyone, what is the need or value of real artists? We're already having books and comics written by AI, yet the lazy shits doing it are slapping their name on it and selling it as their own work. How does AI art/music benefit society as a whole? It doesn't. The telephone did.

You Could Be MIne.

But then the issue becomes if the fakes are so good, and casual listeners can't tell the difference, where is the motivation on the artist to keep recording? For the longest time the discussion has centered around record labels screwing artists on album sales and the artists only making money on tours, but what happens when/if the labels decide to start releasing albums based on contract small print that are AI generated? They own the rights to the masters, can they use the vocals to program into new music? Why would performers go on the road to sing songs they didn't record? What if an artist is using Ai to release music, but doesn't tell the fans? Does it matter how it was created? Would you feel cheated if you found out that band you love had put out four albums where the vocals were fake? Does it matter? I don't have the answers for any of this as we're all in new and unclear waters now. The entire AI discussion is hypothetical for now. We can talk about the maybe's and what if's, but there is a lot we just don't know. Record labels love money and have proven time after time that they don't always have the artists best interests at heart. Where there is money to grab, you know they will. It's all cute and charming now, but what happens when the technology replaces the need to have artists? Absurd? Possibly. Likely? Unknown. Would you buy an AI Gn'R album? Could you have the same emotional connection as you did when you heard Appetite for the first time. Would it affect your opinion if the band was involved and gave their blessing? I think the whole discussion is fascinating, but let's not fool ourselves about the slippery slope we find ourselves on. There are some practical uses for AI, but this could all just as easily go very wrong.

The game has changed now. I've made no hesitation on stating my opinions on AI "art" and that I feel that it's lazy. We all know that AI art is here to stay. This isn't news to anyone, but it's mostly just stealing and modifying existing art. There's no skill or talent involved. Two weeks ago I was browsing YouTube, and AISIS came up. The concept is it's an Oasis "lost tapes" album from the 95-97 lineup. It's fun, but you know it isn't Oasis. Oasis never recorded anything like this. There is a mental disconnect that allows you to dismiss it. But me being me, I kept digging. I found a bunch of other Oasis and most of them were shit. Staticy vocals that sounded like words were cut and pasted together. I was quickly thinking that the whole concept was dreadful. Then I found an uploader who had taken songs from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and added Liam's vocals to it. The first song it recommended was a rare b-side of Noel's called A Simple Game of Genius. I know the song well, so I figured I'd listen to it for a laugh. Now I am a huge, HUGE Oasis fan. I know both Liam's and Noel's voice extremely well. I know when someone is trying to imitate them. I assumed it was going to be another digitized mess. I wasn't prepared for what I heard. This is one of those "I remember where I was when..." moments. I knew I wasn't listening to the real Liam Gallagher singing. The song was written and performed two years after Oasis split up. My head knew I wasn't listening to Oasis. My ears however heard something entirely different. I heard Liam singing a song he'd never recorded. Not a shitty digitized sampling. Liam Gallagher. The brothers sang and harmonized for six beautiful minutes. the uploader nailed the nuances of Liam's voice. The elongated syllables, the grow, the drawl, the cracking voice. All of it. After the song ended, I sat in silence for ten minutes, uncertain how to feel. I was listening to something that was never supposed to be. I was at once feeling excited, dirty, but ultimately completely and utterly terrified. This is game changing. So why did this resonate with me, when the AI album did not? Liam and Noel were always better together, and most of the Oasis catalogue has demo albums of Noel on vocals. This felt like a natural progression of Oasis. The quality and level attention to detail is quite stunning. There is so much to process here. So much good, but also so much bad. Musicians who are still alive and in charge of their music and embrace this are gifted immortality. The voice they had in their 20's can still be recorded and they can sound like they did at their prime. Axl or Steven Tyler are great examples. They can put out albums long after they are unable to. Then there's the gray area with reunions fans wanted but never happened and then "new" albums are released from fans tinkering with demos and whatnot. And then the loss of autonomy. Dead musicians who no longer have control of their music or legacy. What if we have a new Beatles or Queen album? Is that ethical? I've listened to Freddie Mercury singing The Final Countdown and Kurt Cobain singing Wonderwall, and they are all shit. Who decides what should or shouldn't be released? As fans should we boycott it? Are we lying to ourselves that it's real music? What is the definition of music? Should we feel the same emotional highs we receive when listening to bands that resonate with us? Can we experience the same highs? Are these highs real? How much of music is the person creating it? Their personality, their attitude, their larger than life swagger? This changes everything we know and feel about music. After I listened to A Simple Game of Genius, I sat in silence trying to process what I'd just experienced. Because I didn't just listen, I experienced. Where do we go from here? The game has changed now. The applications for this are at once exciting and utterly fucking terrifying. How soon before we have politicians making comments and then blaming AI when things backfire? Or AI voices declaring war? We need checks and balances on AI before it's too late. It's all fun and games talking about Skynet and tech going sentient, but how far off that are we really? This all warrants a much deeper discussion of just because we can, should we?