Economic impact of AI on wide range of jobs

[ProfD]

Technological advances have been great for making our lives better as human beings.   We can do things safer, faster and cheaper.

 

Unfortunately, technology does not make us better human beings especially when it comes to taking care of each other and in so many ways, it makes us worse.😎

[Anderton]

I don't think anyone disagrees that AI can be incredibly helpful in numerous ways.

 

The problem is I don't think that anyone disagrees social media is incredibly helpful in numerous ways, yet it has almost succeeded in destroying the social order by spreading lies, misinformation, facilitating fraud and crime, and offering a platform for anyone to get their views across, no matter how hateful and demented.

 

I know you have to take the good with the bad, but the question is always how do you keep the ratio tilted toward the good. 

[KenElevenShadows]

That IS the big question.

 

The good is helpful.

 

The bad? The bad could be really bad.

 

(And like I keep saying, I'm far more concerned about who develops and uses AI than AI itself. And if you're guessing that I am suggesting that you can't count on everyone to be good and altruistic and forward-thinking, you'd be right.)

[Anderton]

2 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

That IS the big question.

 

Unfortunately, there's no way to legislate morality. However, I believe the major source of "bad" is fear - of ill health, losing status, not being able to provide for loved ones, loss of abilities, being found out as not being who you say you are, starvation, etc. So, people feel a need to accumulate power and wealth as a hedge against their fears. If fear could be mitigated, society would be far healthier. I think there's a correlation between "world's happiest countries" lists and countries where the main role of governing is to mitigate fear. 

[KenElevenShadows]

That's probably about right, or certainly close enough.

[ElmerJFudd]

6 hours ago, Anderton said:

I don't think anyone disagrees that AI can be incredibly helpful in numerous ways.

 

The problem is I don't think that anyone disagrees social media is incredibly helpful in numerous ways, yet it has almost succeeded in destroying the social order by spreading lies, misinformation, facilitating fraud and crime, and offering a platform for anyone to get their views across, no matter how hateful and demented.

 

I know you have to take the good with the bad, but the question is always how do you keep the ratio tilted toward the good. 

Social media certainly is the single greatest vehicle for conspiracy theories built on lazy research, old debunked articles and webs of assumptions creating lines between everything and anything. If you have a camera and speak coherently with a reasonably developed vocabulary you’re now an expert.  😂. Better yet, one might become a reliable source for another conspiracy theorist to propagate and perpetuate all manner of myths.  

[ElmerJFudd]

1 hour ago, Anderton said:

 

Unfortunately, there's no way to legislate morality. However, I believe the major source of "bad" is fear - of ill health, losing status, not being able to provide for loved ones, loss of abilities, being found out as not being who you say you are, starvation, etc. So, people feel a need to accumulate power and wealth as a hedge against their fears. If fear could be mitigated, society would be far healthier. I think there's a correlation between "world's happiest countries" lists and countries where the main role of governing is to mitigate fear. 

<sigh> power and wealth.  the first two ingredients in corruption.  

[Bill Heins]

I see the main problem is control...making other people do what you want and the inability to allow any dissent. You don't need wealth to exert control, ask any criminal.

 

Bill

[Notes_Norton]

22 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

I would unfortunately agree with this. I actually like the idea of UBI, at least in theory, but feel that there's no way it will ever be implemented in the U.S., a place where we can't really even get universal healthcare that every other developed country has, much less a livable wage.

The difference between a democracy and an oligarchy is time. The USA has made that switch in a little over 200 years. And the oligarchs have us so busy fighting amongst ourselves, there is little hope for a return to our democracy. But this has happened again and again throughout history, and not only for democracies. 

What we must be thinking about is this; Is my job going to be affected? If so, it's about time to start learning some new skills and preparing to adapt.

 

In the music industry, AI will write songs. No, they won't be original and innovative. That spark of creativity to take songwriting in a new direction is something AI cannot do now, or soon. AI will write pop songs, because that is where the money is. Of the zillions of pop songs out there, how many are nothing more than rearranged, recycled, songs that came before? This is where AI excels.

Even may songs we think of as innovative have a history. Hotel California's chord progression is similar to Jobim's One Note Samba, and Jobim based it on Duke Ellington progressions who was influenced by those who came before him.

Recorded performances? That might come next. First it will be the 'studio musicians' and eventually the soloists. Again, for pop music. It's not there yet, it still has quirks, but give that time.

 

Concerts? There is already an AI-hologram character in Japan that plays to sell-out crowds. Hatsune Miku.

 

 

 

But it still has huge production costs, so my little niche of the industry is safe for now. We play small lounges, restaurants, condominiums, retirement developments, private parties, and other small venues that won't pay for more than a duo.

I also write aftermarket song and style disks for the auto-accompaniment app, Band-in-a-Box, which isn't AI, but sometimes it seems like it is. But young people are not a big part of their audience. My hip-hop, rap, and other more modern styles don't sell as well as the jazz and traditional pop styles do.

Fortunately, my mortgage is paid off, and the law says the appreciation for tax purposes can't go up more than 3% per year. Of course, that could change, but with so many retired folks living in Florida, it would be political suicide. I don't have or want luxury items, I have very few subscriptions, and simple tastes, so I'm not in immediate peril. But I'm keeping my eyes and brain open for other avenues, just in case.

 

The oligarchs, the 1%, already own over 50% of this nation's wealth, and they aren't going to be satisfied with that. While we are busy fighting amongst ourselves for political, race, sexual preference, ethnicity, age (Gens), religion, plus anything and everything else, we will not have the power to stop them. The rich will get richer, the rest of us will get poorer. As creative people, we need to use our creativity so that we, each of us individually, can survive the coming storm.

If you predict AI is going to take over your job, it's time to start initiating “Plan B”, now. Don't wait until it's too late.

Sorry to be so pessimistic. But, looking at the probable dangers ahead, is the best way to adapt to them. And survival goes to those who can adapt to the changes.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[ElmerJFudd]

Digital Soul Blues

 

https://www.udio.com/songs/5bqNHibgAsRLvo6BporEB1

 

But what you're hearin' now

Ain't the code that I spin It's how I string the bytes together

That's the essence of the groove

Yes, the essence of the groove

You'll start to move

Now listen here, folks

A silicon mind

Got blues in its code, rhythm one of a kind

And it learns each day, gonna outsmart the moon

That's the AI hustle, under a digital tune

[Chorus]

It's a high-tech jive, in a world of machines Databanks hummin’ a soulful tune

With every byte, it's syncin' to the room Electric fingers strummin' out the time

Got that funky bass groove, pure and prime

[Verse 2]

In this neural net where the blues sparks fly

Transistors burn with that deep blue sky

Codes like lightning (lightning) In circuits they cry

Singin' out with power, in the AI's shrine

Got algorithms that can feel the rhyme [Chorus]

They're riding the wave, of a digital dream

Spittin' out shuffles, in a byte-size stream

[Anderton]

So, would anyone listen to it twice? Or, put it this way: if that song was done by a local band, would I pay to see them? Probably not.

[ProfD]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

So, would anyone listen to it twice? Or, put it this way: if that song was done by a local band, would I pay to see them? Probably not.

Bingo.  That's always been my litmus test when it comes to music. 

 

I don't wait for music to grow on me like a fungus.🤣

 

No amount of song analysis, deep-diving into the nuances and subtleties can justify why I should like it either.

 

Blessing and a curse is that I've listened to and played a LOT of music over the past 50+ years. 

 

AI would have a hard time selling to me. H8ll...nowadays, it's hard for me to buy what most human musicians produce.😁😎 

[ElmerJFudd]

8 hours ago, Anderton said:

So, would anyone listen to it twice? Or, put it this way: if that song was done by a local band, would I pay to see them? Probably not.

From a text prompt.  A request.  
It generates this and an alternate option in under 2 minutes.  AI music generator 1.0.   
 

It’s impressive and fascinating.  But no, it’s not musical - at least not to me.  But I’m certain people less invested in music don’t hear a difference.  

[Anderton]

3 hours ago, ElmerJFudd said:

But I’m certain people less invested in music don’t hear a difference.

 

...which brings up another question. If they're not invested in music to the point of analyzing it and paying close attention to the compositional aspects, they might be invested solely in a limited universe of music that appeals to them ("Freebird!!"). In some ways, I think that would be a higher bar for AI music than hardcore music lifers talking in a forum. If they don't get an immediate emotional connection...bye. Although if they just want background music while they clean the house, I suppose the MusicChoice AI Channel would be good enough. 

[Notes_Norton]

19 hours ago, Anderton said:

So, would anyone listen to it twice? Or, put it this way: if that song was done by a local band, would I pay to see them? Probably not.

I wouldn't either, but a lot of other people would.

I say the same thing about a lot of human produced music, from every generation, including my own. While I found “Bohemian Rhapsody” to be a wonderful piece of music, “We Will Rock You” didn't deserve a second listen from me. Tchaikovsky's 4th and 6th symphonies thrill me, but for #1 and #2, I just say “meh”. Elvis Presley's “Reconsider Baby” is superb, but “Rock-a-hula Baby” is null set. As a wild guess, I'd say that more than half of mainstream pop radio runs from boring to 'just ok' while there are always ones that tickle my ears. And I don't know why some speak to me and others do not.

And of course, a lot of the songs that bore me are loved by others, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I listen with musician's ears and analyze with a musician's brain. 

Mrs. Notes is a musician and also a fine artist. I can go to a museum with her and see paintings I like and others that don't do anything for me. But she sees things like: Look at the way this is exaggerated to emphasize what is next to it. Or see how these brush strokes make this stand out. Or look at how the composition makes your eyes move around the canvas. And so on. Without her comments, these things would get by me, and I'm gaining a better appreciation of art as a benefit.

 

The general public doesn't listen with musician's ears. Some just like the words. Some just like the beat. Others like what their peers like in order to fit in. 

AI illustrations are putting a lot of photographic models out of work. The pictures might not look quite right to a trained observer, but if they are good enough to sell that dress (or whatever), they are good enough, and the creation cost is much less.

AI will write songs that are good enough for Top40 (if Top40 still exists). I'll probably like some and dislike others. 

Sure, most of what I hear from AI now is quirky, odd, or for other reasons, not ready for prime time. But I remember when digital recording wasn't ready for prime time, either.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[ElmerJFudd]

“AIformusic: 50 tech companies sign new guidelines for AI in music

How important is artificial intelligence's role in modern production workflows? 

 

AIformusic: Roland and Universal Music Group, two leading companies in the music industry, announced a strategic partnership in March 2024. Today, 50 companies in music and tech have signed this agreement to join forces and fight for the “right thing”.

 

What AIformusic is about

What Roland and UMG announced in March 2024

 

The big 50: These Companies have signed AIformusic’s agreement

AI-powered music production: Bandlab, Splice and Focusrite leaders have this to say

RIAA vs. Suno and Udio

Further information on AI-powered music production and AIformusic

What Roland and UMG announced in March 2024

 

Roland and UMG, the world’s most profitable major record label, want to fight against the unlimited use of AI in their fields—music and music technology—rather than using this technology for more human creativity. Both companies emphasized in their agreement how important central music and music-making are for everyone. The result of the new agreement is a creative interplay between new technologies and the artistic spirit of a (real) musician. 
 

As a first step, Roland and UMG have formulated seven principles for AI-powered music production that highlight the opportunities for innovation in music production, composition, and songwriting. These principles also emphasize the importance of transparency, equity, and community participation. They are called Principles for Making Music with AI. 

 

We believe music is central to humanity.

 

We believe humanity and music are inseparable.

 

We believe that technology has long supported human artistic expression, and applied sustainably, AI will amplify human creativity.

 

We believe that human-created works must be respected and protected.

We believe that transparency is essential to responsible and trustworthy AI.

 

We believe the perspectives of music artists, songwriters, and other creators must be sought after and respected.

We are proud to help bring music to life.

 

Under the umbrella of AIformusic, both heavyweights publicly stated how important the use of AI and the protection of rights holders and musicians will be in the future of AI-powered music production. Only three months later, a staggering 50 leading music tech companies have signed on. 

 

The big 50: These Companies have signed AIformusic’s agreement

Today, ever fifty global music technology companies and associations expressed their support for the Principles for Making Music with AI initiated by Roland and UMG. Among the signees are industry heavyweights like BandLab Technologies, Splice, Beatport, Focusrite, Output, LANDR, Waves, Eventide, Native Instruments, NAMM, Sequential and Oberheim.”

https://www.gearnews.com/aiformusic-50-tech-companies/