There is such a storm surrounding the new creative AI tools- especially in regards to the “slop” that’s prevalent across so many platforms lately.
I was recording music on a Tascam 4-track when I was 12 years old, and making music videos on a dual 8mm deck. I was the friend that would make you mix tapes, and carefully constructing the cassette J-card with an X-acto knife and double-stick tape. Over the past 40-odd years, I’ve released 20 albums of original music and 30+ music videos using an ever-evolving set of tools.
AI is a wonderful tool- when used with soul.
In the 1980’s, when the Fairlight CMI Sampler became popular, there was a similar shitstorm. Phil Collins proudly stated on “No Jacket Required” that there was no Fairlight used anywhere on the record (even though he was using the Roland CR-78, TR-909, and Linn drum machines all over the place). Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush, Thomas Dolby and other visionaries embraced the Fairlight and helped to shape the musical contours of the following decade.
Is slop an issue? Completely. But it is wholly possible to create meaningful, soulful, socially relevant work using these same tools.
Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater- even though in this case, there’s a whole lot of bathwater.
