New Monday #71
Happy Monday -
If I had nightmares, I would be having them about AI. Actually, I have nightmares about AI while I'm awake.
It's not so much I am worried about me; I'm worried about my son—22, and just graduated with a degree in filmmaking—and all the other college grads who went in four years ago and are now popping out with a brainful of knowledge that seems obsolete. I know it isn't. I know that practical experience has its value, but suddenly knowing anything more than typing a prompt seems like an over-qualification for a job that can be done by someone who's clever at weaseling around the algorithms on TikTok. Especially when they don't want to pay that much.
I'm over-generalizing, of course. But it's on my mind... probably because I've been redesigning the Korneff Audio website and have been using AI for a lot of the coding.
AI Interns
For a few weeks, I worked with ChatGPT. Chat feels like a kid named Aidan that is trying to show off how much he knows and how enthusiastic he is. He reminds me of interns in the studio that I wanted to strangle and then hide the body in the reverb chamber. AidenGPT's read all the books, has boundless enthusiasm, lots of ideas and just WON'T. SHUT. UP.
I ask for a simple thing: I need some PHP code that does X. AidenGPT the intern has all these suggestions: we can do this, would you like me to do this, how about this?
AIDEN. JUST GET ME A PIZZA SLICE FROM THE PLACE DOWN THE STREET, I yell in my loudest visiting engineer voice.
AidenGPT finally shuts up. And then starts talking again. I tell him to stop suggesting things and just execute the task when I tell him. Don't generate the Javascript until I tell you to. He agrees to wait until I tell him to do something before he does it. And then he forgets and boom! He's taken all the drum mics down, put them away, coiled up the cables... just when we were going to be overdubbing some additional drums.
Mind you, AidenGPT does a fabulous job with the technical stuff. Dang, the bastard knows more code than I ever will. But he's myopic. We run into a problem and he keeps suggesting the same solution—one we've already tried that didn't work:
AidenGPT: What if we use a ribbon mic on the acoustic guitar?
Luke: We can't Aiden, the guy is fingerpicking and it doesn't have enough sensitivity and besides, it's too warm because of the polar pattern.
AidenGPT: So, what if we use a Coles 4038? It has a beautiful warmth to it.
Luke: Aiden, isn't a Coles 4038 a ribbon microphone?
AidenGPT: Oh yes! You're right. I'll just set up a ribbon microphone.
Finally, AidenGPT got fired. Just like that kid who was breathing too loudly while I was mixing. And then started telling me about his band. While I was mixing.
So we hired Claude AI.
I sat Claude down at the console on the first day before the band showed up and told him the rules: Wait until I tell you to write the code before you write the code. Do not elaborate when I ask a question. Just answer it. Do not give me suggestions. Don't touch any musical instruments. Don't adjust the big speaker levels unless I tell you to. Don't suggest parts to the bassist. Can you do that, Claude?
Claude agrees he can.
Claude is as good as AidenGPT for the technical stuff. And he doesn't forget the behavior rules. He doesn't tear down the guitar set-up, or breathe loudly, or tell me about his girlfriend's tattoo during a vocal tracking session. I'm pretty happy with Claude.
Until we're almost through everything and Claude is done. Finito. Out of memory.
Claude: I have to go home now, Mr DeLalio.
Luke: But we're not done, Claude. This session goes until the damn thing is mixed, buddy.
Claude: I'm sorry, Dave. I can't open the pod bay doors.
Claude requires starting all over again. But the kicker is, he's forgotten everything about the project we've been working on for the past three hours.
I end up bouncing between Claude and AidenGPT. I hate them both. The two of them kiss my ass way too much, especially AidenGPT. I can do no wrong. Everything is a great idea! Do you want me to code up some JS and PHP and set up a FET-47 and put it on the kick even though we tracked the drums three weeks ago?
Why do these two want me to like them so much? Is it to get me in the habit of using them constantly so when the usage rates go up, because all AI providers are running at a loss right now because power consumption is through the roof.
Still, it's faster to code with these two idiots than without them.
This damn AI stuff is on my mind. Voila! Now I'm dumping it on your mind!
AI Round-up of Nebulousness
Feel free to play this whilst exploring the links.
This is music made almost ten years ago by composer Holly Hearndon. She designed her own training data, built an AI model called Holly+, made some records, did some AI art, yada yada yada. I find the most listenable stuff out of this record is the live training sessions, which are, surprise surprise, real people singing.
Ms Hearndon is an expert on this. I found her on this podcast from The Atlantic, which is all about AI AI AI. The episodes are short—about half an hour. Hers is Episode #10. Listen to it while cutting cucumbers?
More Links to make you think. These are all very scannable. Because attention span.
AI agents will blackmail people when they feel threatened. Oh joy.
Studies suggest AI use lowers human cognition and creativity. Oh double joy! Because we're lazy!
AI-generated art crowds human made art out of the market. More joy, this time from a Stanford University study. Short read.
The music industry is developing technology to track down AI songs that might copyright infringe. Because money. Joy of joys.
Highly recommended: a video about using AI to model proteins. It's fascinating. This is the good stuff AI promises.
Wonderfully Human
Check this out! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mObEFZD6yxl3omPgZ82eXVAgjuibGv-ks&si=__8V1_W5K8dN8VhS
Via Mardot is Olivia Mainville. From Detroit, she writes compelling stuff that sounds like the soundtrack from a 50s French Sci-Fi film. She plays everything herself, including the theremin!
Ms. Mainville was chucked out of school at age fifteen. She decided to roll with the punches and gave up the whole education thing to become a musician. She eventually formed a band, Olivia Mainville and the Aquatic Troupe. It's competent indie rock, but it's nowhere near as captivating as Via Mardot.
Here she is playing everything!
Her Instagram is a delight, combining her quirky music with quirky graphics and a slash of red lipstick.
Love this: her version of the theme from The Midnight Cowboy.
It's been a bear of a week. The beautiful humanity of Via Mardot has been the redeeming factor for me.
Although... it is a strange thing to be programming with AI while 50s French Sci-Fi music plays in the background. Somehow... prescient.
The shape of things to come?
Warm regards,
Luke.