Conflicted About AI in Music

I have to admit that I am a little conflicted about the use of AI in making music. Part of me feels it is a step away from the traditional path of learning an instrument, spending years improving your craft, and then expressing yourself through the notes you play. That process has always been central to what many people see as the “real” way to make music. At the same time, I know that whether AI belongs in music depends on your goal, your motivation, and what you are trying to achieve.

For me, my main focus has always been on writing about my experiences. I put a lot of effort into shaping words so they tell the story I want to tell. I spend time reworking lines so they create an image that someone else might recognise, so that they connect with me in that moment of shared feeling. That is where my energy naturally flows.

I am very much a campfire player. While I would love to spend more time becoming a better musician, learning theory, and building stronger skills on the guitar, right now my purpose is simpler. I want to tell stories and share my experiences through song. I do write the music and create the basic structures, but when it comes to shaping the production into something that feels complete, I rely on AI. It helps me present the song in a way that I could not achieve on my own.

The way I currently see it, all forms of art are really just a function applied to a medium. A painter uses paint and canvas to capture their vision. A poet arranges words on paper to communicate a feeling or idea. The medium can be very important, but it is not the essence of the art. What matters most is the act of expression and the story being told. For me, AI has become the paper on which I write my music. It is simply the medium I use right now to put my feelings into a form I can share.

I do not know if I will always see it this way. My relationship with AI and music may evolve. One day I might lean less on technology and rely more on my own musicianship. For now though, this is how it works for me.

Some people will love it and others will hate it, and that is their choice. I have chosen to accept it, at least for the moment.