It synthesizes knowledge. It approximates. It emulates. It models.
Synthesizers are not new! We’ve been using them in music for 50 years. When they appeared, they seemed very odd: you’re telling me that this machine simulates notes and tones? They’re not actually created by air and real world physical friction? Gross! Also what’s the point??
50 years later most people have cried over music made on synthesizers. Most hits of the past 30 years have been made with synthesizers. Many of them entirely made with synthesizers. Some wonderful music has been made with synthesizers.
AI is also an automation tool. Do you know what we automated right quick? Piano playing.
Back in the days, not long after the end of slavery, thousands of musicians were making a living playing the piano in bars. The first self-playing piano was a reality by 1896. 129 years ago.
Since then we invented the jukebox and DJs. Do you know how many musicians playing instruments with their hands and souls have had their musician career automated by technology? A huge number over a hundred years. Imagine the city, society, if we had had musicians everywhere. A lot of things might have been smoother and flowing better, and there would be way less pretending (you can’t fake playing an instrument well), I think.
My point is: music and audio showed the future decades ago. And we will survive this AI thing too.
We need UBI though. Lock the fuck in on that, folks. We are in post-work society.