Musings on Authenticity: Craft versus Fantasy
The other day I was asked whether, by the year 2030 (within 5 years), there would be a song in the Billboard Top 100 which was entirely AI generated.
Although AI-generated music is not real music (it's content), my answer was a resounding yes, for reasons that seem clear.
I find there are two divergent meanings of authenticity which commonly get conflated:
- Authenticity to a Craft
- Authenticity to a Fantasy
If you're authentic to a craft, then you care about how the thing is made. This is why we see wide variability in pricing, especially in the luxury goods market (handbags made in Italy versus China). This applies to nearly every product: food, music, clothes, cars, etc.
If you're authentic to a fantasy, then you care less about how the thing is made, but rather how realistic the thing is within the context of that fantasy. When you visit a theme park like Disney World, you don't care that some castle isn't a real medieval structure built by traditional stone masons; what matters is how convincingly the emotional experience was delivered.
Returning to the original question, I believe we will see AI-generated music in the Billboard Top 100 by 2030 because most people (whether known or unknown) refer to the latter meaning of authenticity when they use the term. "How closely does the thing I want/consume align with my perceived/desired reality?"
The rise of AI-generated media won't displace real creators, but it will unfortunately occupy some of their real estate, increasing competition for attention.