So I asked ChatGPT a question...

[nk_e]

"Given the rise in AI assisted music composition, what do you think the impact will be for mid-tier professional composers who work primarily in the small film / documentary / advertising / library music areas? How best can these people adapt to AI in this area?"

ChatGPT responded...

=================>

The rise of AI-assisted music composition is transforming the landscape of the music industry, including niches like small film, documentary, advertising, and library music. For mid-tier professional composers operating in these areas, AI presents both challenges and opportunities. Understanding these dynamics and proactively adapting can ensure continued relevance and success. Here's a comprehensive look at the potential impacts and strategies for adaptation:

Impact of AI-Assisted Music Composition

1. Increased Efficiency and Productivity
- Automation of Routine Tasks: AI can handle repetitive aspects of composition, such as generating basic melodies or harmonies, allowing composers to focus on more creative elements.
- Rapid Prototyping: Composers can quickly generate multiple variations of a theme to explore different directions before refining them.

2. Expanded Creative Possibilities
- Inspiration and Idea Generation: AI tools can offer new ideas that composers might not have conceived on their own, serving as a collaborative partner in the creative process.
- Access to Diverse Styles: AI can mimic various musical genres and styles, enabling composers to experiment and incorporate diverse influences into their work.

3. Increased Competition and Price Pressure
- Lower Barrier to Entry: AI tools make music composition more accessible, potentially increasing the number of individuals offering composition services, which can lead to greater competition.
- Cost Reduction for Clients: Companies might opt for AI-generated music due to lower costs, affecting the demand for human composers, especially in budget-constrained projects.

4. Shift in Skill Requirements
- Technical Proficiency: Composers may need to become adept at using AI tools and integrating them into their workflow.
- Emphasis on Unique Artistic Voice: As AI handles more generic composition tasks, the human touch—unique creativity and emotional depth—becomes a key differentiator.

Strategies for Adapting to AI in Music Composition

1. Embrace AI as a Collaborative Tool
- Integration into Workflow: Learn to use AI tools to enhance productivity without relying solely on them. Use AI to handle time-consuming tasks, freeing up more time for creative decisions.
- Hybrid Compositions: Combine AI-generated elements with personal compositions to create unique and high-quality music that leverages the strengths of both.

2. Focus on Developing a Distinctive Artistic Voice
- Personal Branding: Cultivate a unique style or niche that sets your work apart from AI-generated compositions. This can involve specializing in particular genres, instrumentation, or emotional tones.
- Storytelling and Emotional Depth: Enhance compositions with nuanced emotional expressions and storytelling elements that resonate deeply with audiences, areas where human composers excel over AI.

3. Enhance Technical Skills and AI Literacy
- Learn AI Tools: Gain proficiency in popular AI music composition software and platforms. Understanding their capabilities and limitations can help in effectively incorporating them into your work.
- Stay Updated: Keep abreast of advancements in AI technology and emerging tools to leverage the latest innovations in your compositions.

4. Diversify Service Offerings
- Expand into Related Areas: Offer services beyond composition, such as sound design, audio editing, or music supervision, to provide more comprehensive solutions to clients.
- Custom and Bespoke Compositions: Emphasize the creation of tailor-made music that meets specific client needs, something AI might not fully achieve without significant human input.

5. Leverage Human-Centric Strengths
- Client Collaboration: Engage closely with clients to understand their vision and tailor compositions accordingly, offering personalized experiences that AI may struggle to replicate.
- Complex Arrangements and Orchestration: Tackle complex musical arrangements and orchestrations that require a deep understanding of musical theory and emotional impact, areas where human expertise is invaluable.

6. Market Your Unique Value Proposition
- Highlight Human Creativity: Showcase your ability to infuse compositions with creativity, emotion, and originality that go beyond what AI can offer.
- Portfolio Development: Build a diverse and high-quality portfolio that demonstrates your skills, versatility, and the unique qualities of your work.

7. Explore New Business Models
- Subscription and Licensing Models: Offer flexible pricing structures such as subscriptions or licensing options tailored to the needs of small-scale projects.
- Collaborative Projects: Partner with other creatives, such as filmmakers, advertisers, and game developers, to create integrated and cohesive projects that highlight your musical contributions.

8. Continuous Learning and Adaptation
- Professional Development: Invest in ongoing education to refine your compositional skills, learn new techniques, and stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry.
- Feedback and Iteration: Actively seek feedback from clients and peers to continually improve your work and adapt to changing market demands.

Conclusion

AI-assisted music composition is reshaping the roles and workflows of mid-tier professional composers in the small film, documentary, advertising, and library music sectors. While AI can streamline certain aspects of music creation, it cannot fully replicate the nuanced creativity, emotional depth, and personalized collaboration that human composers provide. By embracing AI as a tool, focusing on developing a unique artistic identity, enhancing technical and collaborative skills, and diversifying service offerings, mid-tier composers can not only mitigate potential challenges but also leverage AI to expand their creative and professional horizons.

Adaptation is key in this evolving landscape. By proactively integrating AI into their workflows and emphasizing the irreplaceable qualities of human creativity, mid-tier composers can continue to thrive and find new opportunities in the age of AI-assisted music composition.

==============>

Thoughts?

[HCMarkus]

Looks like a pretty solid analysis.

3. Increased Competition and Price Pressure
- Lower Barrier to Entry: AI tools make music composition more accessible, potentially increasing the number of individuals offering composition services, which can lead to greater competition.
- Cost Reduction for Clients: Companies might opt for AI-generated music due to lower costs, affecting the demand for human composers, especially in budget-constrained projects.

This ^

and This:

5. Leverage Human-Centric Strengths
- Client Collaboration: Engage closely with clients to understand their vision and tailor compositions accordingly, offering personalized experiences that AI may struggle to replicate.
- Complex Arrangements and Orchestration: Tackle complex musical arrangements and orchestrations that require a deep understanding of musical theory and emotional impact, areas where human expertise is invaluable.

More than a few of my clients are less interested in the commercial viability of their music than they are in the experience of personally interacting as we realize the music they hear in their heads. They will be with me, regardless.

But those budget-constrained commercial gigs? Sayonara.

Work, be it live or in the studio, where we are appreciated for our humanity will endure.

[bayswater]

It does a very good job of summarizing what has already be said, but doesn’t bring anything new to the discussion.

[HCMarkus]

It does a very good job of summarizing what has already be said, but doesn’t bring anything new to the discussion.

That's AI for ya'

[stubbsonic]

We used to giggle at AI-generated music; or it was something kind of creepy but cool. Even then, I suppose many of us could see the writing on the wall-- i.e., that AI would eventually be able to make music that the lay audiences would not be able to distinguish from human-made music; and producers of media might use AI for more and more aspects of their content. Of course, the writers & producers of media aren't safe from the axe either.

There's no getting around the reality that AI is going to give all creators of content "more free time".

If you feel up to a bit of a dystopian poetry...

Me:
After AI has completely replaced all creative content makers, and audiences have acclimated to entertainment and informational content being fully usurped by AI, what will happen next?

ChatGPT:
If AI were to entirely replace human creative content makers and audiences fully adapted to this shift, several scenarios could emerge, depending on societal values, technological advancements, and economic structures. Here are some possibilities for what might happen next:

1. Hyper-Personalized Experiences
AI could deliver hyper-personalized content tailored to individual preferences, behaviors, and moods, creating unique, immersive experiences for each consumer.
Entertainment could become a private endeavor, with fewer shared cultural touchpoints, as everyone consumes content made specifically for them.
2. Human Creativity as a Niche Luxury
Human-made art and entertainment might become a niche or luxury market, valued for its imperfections, authenticity, and rarity.
Platforms could emerge to celebrate and monetize human creativity, similar to how artisanal goods are valued today.
3. Redefinition of "Creativity"
Society might redefine what it means to create, shifting the focus from producing content to curating, guiding, or collaborating with AI tools.
New forms of creative expression could arise, blending human and AI contributions.
4. Shift to Participatory Media
Content could evolve into participatory or interactive forms where users actively engage with AI-driven narratives, gaming, or simulated environments.
Audiences might co-create experiences in real time with AI, blurring the line between creator and consumer.
5. Economic and Employment Impacts
With traditional creative jobs displaced, societies would need to address the economic implications. Universal Basic Income (UBI) or other welfare systems might become necessary.
People might focus on other pursuits like personal development, scientific research, or caregiving.
6. Content Fatigue and Minimalism
Over-saturation of AI-generated content could lead to content fatigue. Audiences might begin seeking simpler, less overwhelming forms of engagement.
This could result in a resurgence of minimalist art, live performances, or low-tech experiences.
7. Ethical and Existential Questions
Society would likely grapple with questions about identity, creativity, and the human role in a world where AI dominates cultural production.
Concerns about monopolization, bias, and the homogenization of perspectives could drive movements to regulate or diversify AI systems.
8. Focus on Human Connection
As AI takes over creative domains, human interaction and community might gain greater significance.
Activities like local storytelling, live gatherings, or workshops could see a revival as people seek authentic connections.
9. AI as Cultural Archivist
AI might become a curator of human culture, preserving historical art forms while creating new ones inspired by past works.
The relationship between AI-generated content and cultural heritage could shape how future generations understand history and creativity.
10. Resistance and Counter-Movements
Counter-movements advocating for the preservation of human creativity and traditions might emerge, promoting art education and anti-AI creative spaces.
A "back-to-basics" trend could develop, akin to modern slow-food or craft movements.
Ultimately, the trajectory would depend on how societies balance the benefits of AI-driven creativity with the intrinsic human desire for meaning, expression, and connection.

Me:
Are there any modifications or additional elements you would add to this list after giving more full consideration of impending geopolitical, climate/environmental, and existential crises we face?


ChatGPT
Certainly, factoring in the broader context of geopolitical, environmental, and existential crises adds complexity to the question of AI's domination of creative content. Here are some additional considerations and modifications to the list:

11. AI as a Tool for Propaganda and Control
Geopolitical tensions could see AI creative tools being weaponized for mass propaganda, deepfake campaigns, and cultural manipulation.
Governments and corporations might leverage AI-generated content to shape public opinion, suppress dissent, or create tailored misinformation, exacerbating divisions and conflicts.
12. Crisis-Focused Content
AI might specialize in creating content designed to address crises, such as simulations for disaster preparedness, climate change awareness, or psychological support during existential challenges.
Storytelling and art could become tools for promoting resilience, fostering global solidarity, and visualizing solutions to complex problems.
13. Sustainability of AI Infrastructure
Running large-scale AI systems requires significant energy resources. In a world facing climate crises, the sustainability of AI itself could come under scrutiny.
Efforts to develop low-energy AI models or decentralized content creation systems might emerge, alongside societal pushback against resource-intensive AI operations.
14. Human Creativity as a Survival Skill
As traditional systems break down due to environmental or geopolitical crises, human creativity might reassert itself as a survival tool, particularly in local problem-solving, community building, and cultural preservation.
DIY and analog creative methods could resurge as communities turn inward to address immediate challenges.
15. AI-Assisted Global Solutions
AI-driven creativity could play a role in developing solutions to global crises, from visualizing climate mitigation strategies to creating narratives that unify disparate geopolitical factions.
The collaborative use of AI and human ingenuity might yield unprecedented innovations in addressing existential risks.
16. Content to Alleviate Existential Angst
Facing existential threats could drive demand for escapist, uplifting, or deeply philosophical content. AI might cater to this by generating media that explores hope, resilience, and the meaning of existence.
Conversely, nihilistic or dystopian narratives could proliferate, reflecting or exacerbating collective despair.
17. Economic Inequality and Content Access
Access to advanced AI-generated content could become another divide between wealthy and impoverished nations or communities.
Grassroots movements might emerge to democratize AI tools, ensuring that marginalized groups can produce and consume content without corporate or governmental gatekeeping.
18. AI in Post-Collapse Scenarios
If societal structures falter due to crises, AI systems might persist as autonomous cultural entities, maintaining archives, creating content, or even acting as digital historians in a post-collapse world.
Such systems could serve as a bridge between the current era and any potential future civilizations.
19. Cultural Homogenization vs. Localization
Crises might drive demand for unifying narratives, potentially leading to homogenized, globalized content produced by AI.
Alternatively, local communities might resist this trend, fostering hyper-localized art and storytelling as a means of preserving unique cultural identities.
20. Philosophical Reckoning with AI Creativity
Facing existential crises might intensify philosophical debates about AI's role in shaping culture, questioning whether reliance on AI creativity aligns with humanity's broader goals and values.
The crisis could spark a renaissance of human-centered philosophies, driving a shift away from technological determinism.
21. Reorientation Toward Non-Human Audiences
AI content could pivot to non-human audiences, such as advanced animal communication systems, extraterrestrial probes, or future AI systems themselves.
Creative efforts might no longer center on human consumers, reflecting a shift in priorities amid existential uncertainty.

[nk_e]

Those are excellent questions Stubsonic.

So I fed the text from my original post and the text from your post into the Google LLM Notebook app and asked it to create a podcast.

Here it is: https://we.tl/t-fvyexHWox0

Wild stuff.

[mikehalloran]

It does a very good job of summarizing what has already be said, but doesn’t bring anything new to the discussion.

That's AI for ya'

It can't bring anything new to the conversation. AI is not intelligent. People have been predicting that breakthrough as "just around the corner" since WWII when the beginnings of machine learning were being discovered in the labs. Suddenly, it wasn't just science fiction anymore except... It hasn't happened yet.

As for the topic. If there's no human content, work cannot be copyrighted which means that it cannot be owned. This means that it cannot be monetized. When the Librarian of Congress made that ruling earlier this year, she based it on 150 years of rulings regarding mechanical music and print generated by random number machines and the like. The monkey generated video had been ruled on prior: no human=no copyright. With this ruling, the WGA and SAG strikes could be settled and rules are now in place.

Anyway, the powers that be in Japan, EU, GB and Congress have proceeded knowing that she is right. There's no argument on the basic principle. Working that out will take years, of course.

As to us? Since AI cannot be monetized, the burden of proof will be placed on content creators that their works are not AI before they can be paid. This will take time and a few high profile lawsuits where the lazy approach will be denied. It will happen, though.

I've lost VO work to AI bots but none have the natural cadence of human speech so much of it has come back—this will change as it gets better and I'm not fooling myself. Copywriters are learning to drop Oxford commas — humans ignore them when reading but bots do not and the hesitation after ',and' sounds silly.

I'm working with (NDA) helping the attorneys draft licensing agreements and sorting out what can and can't be licensed and how to indemnify the client from the hot mess of •••• that they want to unleash upon the world.

It looks like I have a ringside seat.

[stubbsonic]

Copywriters are learning to drop Oxford commas — humans ignore them when reading but bots do not and the hesitation after 'and,' sounds silly.

I imagine it would-- and not to be "that guy". The comma wouldst come before the and.

[James Steele]

Ha... again... I'm a fan of the Oxford comma. There are indeed situations where even though it feels redundant to some, it can help clarify things. For example, cold reads of voiceover scripts-- Oxford comma can be your friend when proper inflection is important, etc.

[mikehalloran]

Ha... again... I'm a fan of the Oxford comma. There are indeed situations where even though it feels redundant to some, it can help clarify things. For example, cold reads of voiceover scripts-- Oxford comma can be your friend when proper inflection is important, etc.

Gotta disagree on that one. Listening to AI bots reading them sounds like they are clueless robots — which they are.

My private hell is that I am married to a woman who wrote a mid 19th C. historical novel in the first person with them. Oxford commas are a 20th C. affectation. They were taught as bad writing in the 1960s and there are always ways to write with equal clarity while avoiding them.

I imagine it would-- and not to be "that guy". The comma wouldst come before the and.

Yes, that was a typo and it's been corrected.

[James Steele]

Ha... again... I'm a fan of the Oxford comma. There are indeed situations where even though it feels redundant to some, it can help clarify things. For example, cold reads of voiceover scripts-- Oxford comma can be your friend when proper inflection is important, etc.

Gotta disagree on that one. Listening to AI bots reading them sounds like they are clueless robots — which they are.

Let me put it this way... my "day job" for decades has been providing teleprompting services for video productions and live events. I can tell you from over 30 years of experience that Oxford commas most definitely help the talent reading the scripts. I'm talking about human beings here... professional talent in many cases... not AI. Again, this is in a specific situation... not printed page. YMMV.

[stubbsonic]

Me:
"How do I convince my friend that Oxford commas are useful?"

chatGPT: ...

I'm not sure I'd listen to that podcast.

[James Steele]

Hahaha... well I'm not compelled really to spend too much time trying to convince others, but if I remember next time it comes up as I'm formatting a script for talent, I'll try to save an example of when I've inserted a comma in a sentence (be it an Oxford comma or just something to indicate a pause) because I KNOW from over 30 years experience that if I don't, it's likely that the presenter will misunderstand and stumble while reading out loud. There are certain redundancies that are helpful when you have non-professional (or even professional) talent up on a stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people reading a speech that they may only be minimally familiar with. As I said before, it's situational and industry specific for me.

[HCMarkus]

Hahaha... well I'm not compelled really to spend too much time trying to convince others, but if I remember next time it comes up as I'm formatting a script for talent, I'll try to save an example of when I've inserted a comma in a sentence (be it an Oxford comma or just something to indicate a pause) because I KNOW from over 30 years experience that if I don't, it's likely that the presenter will misunderstand and stumble while reading out loud. There are certain redundancies that are helpful when you have non-professional (or even professional) talent up on a stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people reading a speech that they may only be minimally familiar with. As I said before, it's situational and industry specific for me.

Situational Awareness is a Good Thing.

[bayswater]

I grew up up on the APA style manual and Strunk and White. It feels odd when the comma is missing. A local radio station here follow a different style manual, and the announcers are constantly tripping over themselves. Omitting the comma assumes announcers read over the material before going on air.

As for AI bots sounding unnatural when they encounter the offending comma, they're only thinking a few milliseconds ahead. Their unnatural phrasing is also heard when the number "one" appears in a phrase and the bot interprets it as the start of a list, and pauses before and after the number, despite the lack of commas. It all shows just how primitive the algorithms are. One day, they'll all sound like Commander Data and Captain Kirk's computer.