Imagine...you are browsing YouTube on your computer. The video-streaming service recommends you to listen to Katy Perry’s song. You enjoy the melody only to find out that it’s not sung by the Grammy Award winning artist but it's an AI-generated project. Despite being dumbfounded by the discovery, the listener can't help themselves from thinking how much the technology is influencing the performing and creative arts.
Music is one of the most valued industries in the economic structure and was valued at $24 billion in 2022. The following year, it saw a 9% increase to climb up to $26.2 billion. The sustainable growth has surprised experts given that it experienced nearly two decades of decline. Was this decline because of AI’s involvement in the industry? However, do you think the integration of AI can affect the growth of this industry?
Generative Artificial Intelligence, also called Generative AI or Gen AI, has transformed the technology sector with its unique feature. Before we can get to the debate of its role in the music industry and whether it could perform the same tasks as a musician, we should understand its meaning and modus operandi.
In layman's language terms, Generative AI uses inputs and processes the algorithm to generate content such as audio and visual aids such as text, pictures, music, and computer codes.
Humans and AI have a long-standing relationship. At first, businessmen thought that the technology would be used for manual labor like sorting documents and they would work on creative side of affairs such as writing and creating music. However, technological innovation saw the roles getting reversed.
Artificial Intelligence is incomplete without human intervention. Although it can produce new music by imitating famous artistic styles and depending on existing datasets, it requires a human touch to be original and one-of-a-kind. Artists can produce distinctive music by using their experiences, perspectives, and narratives. Despite all the challenges posed by artificial intelligence technologies, the music industry continues to grow, and real human skills are highly valued in the labor market. Therefore, you can still find plenty of jobs in the music industry, including flexible online work opportunities.
Where Generative AI Falls Short In The Music Industry
We are living in an era where artificial Intelligence is influencing our lives. People look up to these chat bots, particularly Dall-E and ChatGPT, to seek ideas about different topics. They ask them to generate content and write lyrics of a song. These AI tools can do so but with certain limits. Remember, it's the humans who have created the technology, and there are plenty of reasons why it is impossible to do so.
First and foremost, it's emotions that make us human. AI, on the other hand, lacks genuine depth. To compose an emotional song, there should be personal experiences which could relate to those feelings. Music is a powerful tool for conveying stories, messages and cultural contexts. Artificial Intelligence can produce quality composition but falls flat in this regard.
Music is more than an art form. It provides a platform for artists to share their thoughts in an artistic way, communicating with listeners on different levels. Musicians incorporate various nuances, dynamics, and interpretations, which instill emotions that evoke different feelings and emotions. As AI is just a robot, it doesn't have the depth and expressive qualities that a human does.
AI can find itself in hot waters if it constantly uses an artist's protected/copyrighted content to create new songs. The copyright law is facing a unique challenge because of the increasing popularity of AI music generation. Copyright safeguards the creative expression of ideas, but the idea itself is not protected by it.
Artificial Intelligence is used to create new songs or revamped versions of previous releases. Therefore, it's difficult for artists to take legal action against the chatbots. Also, it's difficult to copy a specific song.
However, the situation would change if AI used a majority portion of protected content. The constant mimic of an artist's unique style is considered to be a misuse of the intellectual property protection law. Therefore, the legal system has to take steps to address this matter.
The situation would be similar to the Hollywood strikes, which halted the production of highly anticipated projects. The actors and writers stopped working amid fears of artificial Intelligence undermining their roles. It was a battle between artists and robots — and the humans eventually triumphed.
Ethical Considerations Of Using AI For Music Creation
Using generative AI to create music can be fun, but there are also ethical considerations that can have serious repercussions for the creator. The datasets used for creating/composing music are biased. The process will be affected if the AI-generated music is found to be full of potential biases, like cultural insensitivity or stereotypical portrayals. Instead, an inclusive approach should be adopted to entertain people from all walks of life.
AI tools can be used for plagiarism that blurs the lines between originality and imitation. Proactive and robust measures need to be taken by artists to safeguard their work against copyright infringement.
It creates an ownership dilemma. There is complexity regarding this matter when it comes to deciding who owns the generated content. This could lead to disputes and humanistic contribution in the creative process can get devalued. There would always be questions on the development of frameworks for recognizing and the collaborative nature of the composition along with fair compensation for the parties involved in the creation process.
There are concerns surrounding the risk of dependency on AI stifling the development of the artists. AI is a potent tool for creating new ideas and help in the music production, it fails to capture the essence of human expressions and creativity.
Musicians can use AI as a potent tool for creative reasons rather than considering it as a formidable foe. The equilibrium of humanistic touch and tools will unleash the innovative creativity potential in the industry. It can be used to enhance their abilities, creating refreshing and meaningful ideas, along with engaging new audiences.
Yes, AI is developing, but even if it seems like this new almighty tech is stepping on musicians’ toes, it’s still possible to pursue a career as a musician even if you do not want to be tied to any location or have no experience.
