{"id":24093,"date":"2023-06-17T21:34:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T01:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/investing\/as-beatles-go-ai-musicians-weigh-impact-lennon-wouldnt-be-best-pleased\/"},"modified":"2023-06-17T21:34:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-18T01:34:03","slug":"as-beatles-go-ai-musicians-weigh-impact-lennon-wouldnt-be-best-pleased","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=24093","title":{"rendered":"As Beatles \u2018go AI,\u2019 musicians weigh impact: \u2018Lennon wouldn\u2019t be best pleased\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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News that the Beatles are using AI to include John Lennon\u2019s voice on a new song marks the latest, and somewhat surprising, chapter, in the technology\u2019s often controversial evolution.<\/p>\n

The prospect of the tech-fueled new release more than half a century after the Beatles split has divided fans of the iconic band, with some full of excitement and others, well, a bit unsettled by the whole thing.<\/p>\n

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Even Paul McCartney described AI as \u201ckind of scary but exciting\u201d in an interview with the BBC where he discussed the new song.<\/p>\n

Opinion<\/strong>:\u00a0The Beatles are using AI to include John Lennon\u2019s voice on a new song: Why I don\u2019t want to hear it<\/p>\n

But what do musicians think about the Beatles\u2019 bold AI move? \u201cLike most new technology AI is most likely a bad concept that will be utilized by the security state for acts of unspeakable evil,\u201d Brian D\u2019Addario of rock band The Lemon Twigs told MarketWatch. \u201cBut in the modern landscape of music, most methods of making popular music are completely artificial and mechanical anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom quantizing instruments to make them sound like they were played well, to pitch correcting a voice with AutoTune or Melodyne, I don\u2019t see how the use of Artificial Intelligence is radically different to other \u2018tools\u2019 used in modern music production,\u201d D\u2019Addario added. However, he believes that technology can only do so much. \u201cAll of these technological advancements result in music that is deaf to matters of the heart and spiritually dead,\u201d he told MarketWatch.<\/p>\n

But the musician says he has enjoyed some of the AI covers that have emerged recently. \u00a0\u201cPersonally I enjoy hearing Paul McCartney singing [Brian Wilson\u2019s] \u201cCaroline, No\u201d or Kanye West singing \u201cI\u2019ll Bet He\u2019s Nice\u201d from The Beach Boys\u2019 [album] \u201cLove You\u201d in a duet with Donald Trump,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s all good fun. And there are people on YouTube like Dae Lims who are doing great reconstruction of unfinished Beach Boys tracks, which are very enjoyable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related<\/strong>: Meta is in rare company in the AI revolution, says analyst<\/p>\n

Just as Bob Dylan\u2019s decision to \u201cgo electric\u201d way back in 1965 split his fans, so the Beatles\u2019 AI experiment proving divisive among musicians. \u201c[I\u2019m] not really sure how I feel about it to be honest,\u201d Shaun Gallagher of New York guitar rock band The Black Jackals told MarketWatch. \u201cIt would be very interesting to hear John [Lennon] and George [Harrison\u2019s] take on the whole thing \u2014 I reckon Lennon wouldn\u2019t be best pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Black Jackals were formed in the Beatles\u2019 hometown of Liverpool, where they signed a recording contract with Soundhub records. After a six-year hiatus Gallagher reformed the band in New York this year.<\/p>\n

The British-born singer-songwriter is concerned that AI could potentially take work away from musicians and, like D\u2019Addario, sees the technology\u2019s shortcomings. \u201cYou can\u2019t feed a songwriter\u2019s passion and experiences into a computer, that\u2019s then going to write an algorithm for a song \u2014 I\u2019m just not having that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/strong>: Microsoft\u2019s stock rallies to record close as more analysts see AI leadership<\/p>\n

Glenn Grossman, a Brooklyn-based professional drummer and producer who has performed with Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Salt n\u2019Pepa and The Temptations, told MarketWatch that he doesn\u2019t feel particularly threatened by AI, but acknowledges the risks it poses. He worries that an AI program could learn, say, the 50 most popular grooves and drum fills from recordings of a world class drummer and then re-create the drummer\u2019s work without their knowledge or approval. \u201cThe more technology grows, the more cautious we have to be about its application,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to be very, very careful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n