Have you ever wondered if that catchy new song you’re listening to was written by… well, not a person?
In a revealing interview with The Times, composer Max Richter ( the genius behind all those emotional film scores that make you cry) dropped a bombshell: AI-generated music is probably already climbing the charts – we just don’t know it.
And he should know. With 3B streams under his belt and a resume that includes scoring Hollywood hits, Richter’s got some thoughts about our robot-powered musical future.
Here’s what Richter says is happening:
AI is sneaking into your playlist:
- AI music tools are getting “spookily good”
- They’re likely already infiltrating electronic music
- Most listeners can’t tell the difference
The tech giants’ land grab:
- Big tech companies are snatching up musical data
- Current AI music systems violate artists’ rights
- It’s basically a digital music gold rush
Why artists are worried:
- AI systems are trained on existing music without permission
- There’s no clear system for compensating original artists
- The creative process could become automated
But Richter’s not jumping on the AI bandwagon. Despite pressure to chase algorithms and AI tools, he’s sticking to good old-fashioned human creativity in his Oxfordshire studio. “The most important thing… is to engage with the material deeply,” he tells The Times. “What I put on the manuscript is what I can control. Everything else I can’t control.”
The bottom line: While AI might be ghostwriting some of today’s hits, there’s still something to be said for the human touch. Just don’t be surprised if your next favourite song was composed by 1s and 0s. For now, we’ll be over here trying to figure out if our Spotify playlist passed the Turing test.
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