'I feel gross' a good friend says in response to me telling her that the music she sent me for Samhain blessings was generative AI. 'Violated.'

I felt bad. The link to the song on Spotify was well intended, and I could see why it appealed to her. The persona seemed authentic. There's a bio. Photos of the women - let's call her Lou Raven, because I don't want to push traffic her way because I too feel gross and violated for listening to music which has been AI generated. Her whole person seems to be about interacting with nature and ravens, which is why my friend probably got sucked in, being her thing and all.

A magpie, not a raven. Nothing to do with this post. I just didn't want to use AI. I try!

Here's the fine line - she says her lyrics are written by her, as part of a healing process. Scroll down, and realise that somewhere in the fine print it says 'generative AI' - that is, the instruments and lyrics are created by Suno, an AI music generator. Plug in your lyrics, choose your genre, and create - and earn money for doing so.

A few AI checkers were only moderately convinced it was partly human written. We all know they aren't accurate, particuarly as AI is shaping the language we use and thus even human generated content will sound AI. But it's enough to create some doubt. Is she outsourcing all her creativity? Look at her website, and it seems so - her images are clearly AI generated, though it doesn't say so. My friend may have been decieved because she doesn't deal with AI to the extent that I do.

The 'artist' calls it co-creation, as if that lends a humanness to her process and the generated content. Let's not be bamboozled by such pretty terms. Spotify has created new laws against content farming - I mean one guy famously made millions before he got done for fraud - which helps us figure out which content is AI. I'd like a toggle switch to remove any AI content coming up in my feed. If it's not entirely human, can it be truly music, who by design takes our deepest emotions and turns them into something moving?

My friend asked how I could tell. Jamie thought the song was terrible but that wasn't really an answer. Perhaps it was my gut, but I'd like to think I understand music enough to realise there was something off about it. Some repetitive riffs that felt formulaic, perhaps. An inauthenticity between the bars.

All the brilliant music out there, and we're now navigating AI slop music?

Yeah, I feel gross.

Meanwhile...

I've been listening to Grace by Jeff Buckley again this week. I used to really love him back in the mid 90's when we were travelling Australia, and had the luck to see him play in a natural ampitheatre in Western Australia before he died swimming in the Missisipi. It's one of those perfect albums of the '90s worth listening to.

These days of course you could create music in the style of Jeff Buckley, lyrics and vocals including. I wonder what he would think of that.

And certainly, I wouldn't have drooled over him so much if he was 'co-creating' or if he was created. Here's a guy who was known for resisting pressure to create what they wanted and instead sung from this place of vulnerability and pure emotion. I'll never forget the intensity of his performance on that stage under the full moon. Sent shivers down my spine.

A new documentary It's Never Over purports to explore the music behind the myth - I think it's on Netflix which I don't have a sub for but I'm looking forward to seeing it at some point. I wonder if any of these generative AI artists will have a doco made about them twenty years after their death. Maybe, by generative AI. God help us.

With Love,

Are you on HIVE yet? Earn for writing! Referral link for FREE account here