AI's Latest Trick: Making Music That's Not Music

Jason Moran, a jazz composer with a penchant for the unexpected, recently found himself in the midst of a bizarre digital conundrum. A friend, bassist Burniss Earl Travis, stumbled upon a supposed new record of Moran's while scrolling through Spotify. But there was a catch, it wasn't Moran's creation.

AI: The New Impostor

Welcome to the absurd world where AI doesn't just impersonate your voice on a robocall, but your entire musical oeuvre. The music industry has been battling fraudulent streams for ages. But now, generative AI has added a new layer of chaos. It's not just tech gone rogue. it's tech with audacity.

These AI-generated tracks masquerading as genuine works pose the question: Who's cashing in on this charade? Certainly not the artists whose names are being hijacked. This isn't innovation, it's theft dressed up in digital clothes.

A Question of Accountability

It's tempting to blame the technology, but let's not give the apparatus a free pass. The real question is, where's the accountability? Spotify and other platforms seem content with their roles as passive vessels, shrugging off responsibility while artists scramble to reclaim their identities.

Sure, they offer the usual platitudes about improving detection systems. Spare me the roadmap. Talk is cheap when the revenue from these streams keeps flowing.

The Cost of Innovation

For an industry that thrives on the next big thing, this serves as a stark reminder that not all innovation leads to progress. When technology outpaces ethics, it's the artists who pay the price. As for the rest of us, we're left wondering when we'll hear an AI-generated version of Beethoven's fifth symphony. Naturally, complete with faux passion and programmed crescendos.

So, who stands to benefit from this digital masquerade? It's certainly not the musicians whose identities are being toyed with. This is the kind of tech evolution that makes you question the true cost of progress. I've seen enough.