Alternative pop artist Grimes has attracted a large amount of controversy, after claiming that artificial intelligence (AI) will eventually make live music obsolete, before suggesting that humanity is at the end of “human art.” One of the more vocal critics of these comments includes performer Zola Jesus, who called the singer “The voice of Silicon fascist privilege” in a now deleted response tweet.
Grimes responded to Zola Jesus’ comments, stating that she agreed with some of the performers points, but explained that she believed technology was democratizing music. In addition, the performer sought clarification for the “silicon fascist” comments.
Zola Jesus responded that while she appreciated a good thought experiment on the subject, Grimes’ comments lacked “nuance and empathy” for performers and their fans.
She also went on to describe what she meant by “silicon fascism,” which she defined as “the neoliberal tech takeover by privileged individuals, creating miniature oligarchic kingdoms of power that will inevitably control once-democratized systems.” Zola Jesus also clarified that she has “an issue with people who are completely disconnected from working class struggles attacking a system that they don’t rely on to survive while others do.” Grimes is currently dating Elon Musk, one of the most prominent figures in the tech industry today.
Devon Welsh of Majical Cloudz was more in support of Zola Jesus’ take on the debate, stating: “Ask yourself, what side are you on? Silicon Valley fascism and the bird’s-eye view of billionaires?”
Composer and sound artist Holly Herndon, who holds a PhD at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, making her a rare expert in the fields of music and programming, also brought her expertise to this debate. Herndon took middle ground approach, stating that while AI can help push music forward (her latest album PROTO was made with the help of AI), it won’t and shouldn’t replace musicians outright.
“AI most likely won’t replace musicians outright,” Herndon explained. “Sentient AI is a fantasy that I think sometimes distracts (often intentionally) from the political economic things that are happening around the tech at the moment.”
She went on to explain that there are many dangers of allowing AI to create music to represent an artist, especially if that artist is deceased. “I’m not worried about robot overlords,” Herndon elaborated. “I’m worried about democratically unaccountable transnational companies training us all to understand culture like a robot or narrow AI.”
Photo Credit: Owen Ela
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