4 ms·

Decent review! I've been fascinated by this topic for a while. I think the real magic is of course in the specifications of the details, but I do think it's inn

Decent review! I've been fascinated by this topic for a while. I think the real magic is of course in the specifications of the details, but I do think it's innevitable that AI-generated (or assisted) music will come to dominate the field as it democratizes what is currently a more specialized skill set. I've always found the resistance to the idea of AI-generated music a bit odd, but I think it stems from a more philosophical idea about where beauty comes from. For example, it's tempting to imagine that the beauty of a Beethoven symphony comes from Beethoven himself, thus his music facilitates an intense personal emotional connection across time and space. The idea of AI music challenges this notion a bit; if AI "composed" something beautiful, and its decisions were not founded on emotions, where is the beauty coming from? Of course, I'd say the beauty is in the natural phenomenon of music itself; the beauty is in the human brain's ability to have a sense of "music" at all. In this way, a connection to Beethoven through his music is a shared recognition of the beauty of certain natural musical phenomenon. The beauty did not come from Beethoven, rather it was "captured" and shared by Beethoven. As far as the business side goes, I've definitely found that there's interest in at least AI-assisted music composition, both from a melody-generating app I used to sell some years ago (limited as it was), and just collecting emails for a new web app I'm working on at https://www.tunesage.com/ https://www.tunesage.com/ ... I know there are already other services out there too for AI music, and I expect the space will continue to grow. I think it's gonna be awesome. :)

vincnetas 5y ago
Im afraid that AI will overwhelm us with perfect amazing music (and other creations) that we will come to a familiar situation that Alan Watts describes : "And you would, naturally as you began on this adventure of dreams, you would fulfill all your wishes. You would have every kind of pleasure you could conceive." And then in this world overwhelmed with perfection we will fall back to that untraceable aspect of human creation that keeps us in awe. Of course we will be much more comfortable in that advanced world in a sense of fulfilled basic needs, but self actualisation (from the pyramid of needs) i guess will never be achieved by AI :)
yawboakye 5y ago
The beauty in human creation doesn't rest entirely in the artefact. A large part of it rests in the knowledge (of the beneficiary) that another skilled human has dedicated time, effort, and intelligence to uniquely produce what is in front of them. It doesn't stop at music. You see it everywhere: fashion (hand-made), food (famous chefs), music (live performances), coffee (moka pots), sex (orgasm stimulated by other humans), etc. It isn't a pursuance of the best (or perfection), but of what has more soul in it. And unfortunately AI music lacks any soul.
- phreeza 5y ago
  I don't think AI music necessarily lacks soul, if it is used as a tool by a human. Just the same as a photograph can carry soul, not just a painting.
  - yawboakye 5y ago
    Good point. I don't have an immediate response, and making a "degree of soul" argument sounds lazy to me. I'll ruminate over this for a while along the lines of what role is played by the tool, and within what range of excellence it immediately throws any piece of work.
- shannifin 5y ago
  > A large part of it rests in the knowledge (of the beneficiary) that another skilled human has dedicated time, effort, and intelligence to uniquely produce what is in front of them. True, but I think this is subjective guessing rather than "knowledge". After all, if I don't find a piece of art beautiful or even interesting, I don't care how much time and effort and intelligence went into it (at least in so far as an assessment of beauty goes); as an artist, I can only wish that such things were a guarantee of beauty.
  - yawboakye 5y ago
    Subjective guessing could be converted into knowledge by information sharing. I believe one could be progressively persuaded to (1) sympathize with the artist, then (2) sympathize with the artefact, and maybe (3) come to cherish it. Depending on how the information is revealed, & in the hope that it is meaningful to the customer. Restaurants have long known & used this procedure—they include source of material and cooking method in the name of the food. You may have no affection for the pasta in front of you but maybe sharing the "home made" information with you could elicit a little more excitement.
hoseja 5y ago
>I've always found the resistance to the idea of AI-generated music a bit odd There was a section in 1984 about how the proles are fed machine-generated music. I think a bit of the resistance comes from this.

vincnetas 5y ago

Im afraid that AI will overwhelm us with perfect amazing music (and other creations) that we will come to a familiar situation that Alan Watts describes : "And you would, naturally as you began on this adventure of dreams, you would fulfill all your wishes. You would have every kind of pleasure you could conceive." And then in this world overwhelmed with perfection we will fall back to that untraceable aspect of human creation that keeps us in awe. Of course we will be much more comfortable in that advanced world in a sense of fulfilled basic needs, but self actualisation (from the pyramid of needs) i guess will never be achieved by AI :)

yawboakye 5y ago

The beauty in human creation doesn't rest entirely in the artefact. A large part of it rests in the knowledge (of the beneficiary) that another skilled human has dedicated time, effort, and intelligence to uniquely produce what is in front of them. It doesn't stop at music. You see it everywhere: fashion (hand-made), food (famous chefs), music (live performances), coffee (moka pots), sex (orgasm stimulated by other humans), etc. It isn't a pursuance of the best (or perfection), but of what has more soul in it. And unfortunately AI music lacks any soul.

phreeza 5y ago
I don't think AI music necessarily lacks soul, if it is used as a tool by a human. Just the same as a photograph can carry soul, not just a painting.
- yawboakye 5y ago
  Good point. I don't have an immediate response, and making a "degree of soul" argument sounds lazy to me. I'll ruminate over this for a while along the lines of what role is played by the tool, and within what range of excellence it immediately throws any piece of work.
shannifin 5y ago
> A large part of it rests in the knowledge (of the beneficiary) that another skilled human has dedicated time, effort, and intelligence to uniquely produce what is in front of them. True, but I think this is subjective guessing rather than "knowledge". After all, if I don't find a piece of art beautiful or even interesting, I don't care how much time and effort and intelligence went into it (at least in so far as an assessment of beauty goes); as an artist, I can only wish that such things were a guarantee of beauty.
- yawboakye 5y ago
  Subjective guessing could be converted into knowledge by information sharing. I believe one could be progressively persuaded to (1) sympathize with the artist, then (2) sympathize with the artefact, and maybe (3) come to cherish it. Depending on how the information is revealed, & in the hope that it is meaningful to the customer. Restaurants have long known & used this procedure—they include source of material and cooking method in the name of the food. You may have no affection for the pasta in front of you but maybe sharing the "home made" information with you could elicit a little more excitement.

hoseja 5y ago

>I've always found the resistance to the idea of AI-generated music a bit odd There was a section in 1984 about how the proles are fed machine-generated music. I think a bit of the resistance comes from this.