🦉 Creative AI Digest - Issue #8

This is your favorite weekly newsletter about the intersection of AI and creativity. Only Creative AI Digest brings you a humorous and experienced perspective from an artist who is still trying to get his Honda Civic up to 1.21 Gigawatts.

Congrats to the winners of my free book giveaway! (email address masked for privacy)

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In related news, “Three Story Method: Cowriting with ChatGPT: AI-Powered Storytelling” captured the “#1 New Release” spot on Amazon in the Authorship and AI & Semantics categories. Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy!

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✨ Personal Update

I’m writing this after spending most of last week in Pittsburgh at StokerCon, the annual conference for members of the Horror Writers Association.

My jaw hurts from laughing so hard thanks to my brothers Zach Bohannon and T.W. Piperbook. We shared an AirBnB, meals, and lots of laughter. They’re now official Yinzers.

Props to the “AI and bots” panel at StokerCon. The moderator and participants took a fair and balanced approach discussing the potential and possible pitfalls of AI in writing and publishing.

But much like the vibe at Thrillerfest, the majority of novelists still have no clue what AI is or how to use it. I’m hoping to change that…

🎸 AI Hard Day's Night: McCartney Conjures Lennon for 'Final' Beatles Record

Summary (by ChatGPT)

• Sir Paul McCartney has revealed he's harnessed the power of AI to resurrect the ghost of John Lennon, at least in audio form. This digital séance was for the creation of what he's dubbed "the final Beatles record." The chosen apparition? Lennon's voice from a 1978 demo.

• An artificial intelligence techie worked his magic to painstakingly "extricate" Lennon's vocals from the lo-fi tracks. No confirmation if this involved candles and incantations, but the results will make a debut later this year. An early heads up: it's likely to be a track called "Now And Then."

• Even though he's successfully wrangled the technology for his own ends, McCartney expressed some apprehension about AI's broader applications. After all, AI isn't just for bringing back the voices of long-dead rock gods. McCartney ominously mused, "We'll just have to see where that leads." So, we await the pending AI apocalypse, with the soundtrack of the "last Beatles' record" playing in the background.

My Take (by… me)

This will no doubt raise the hackles of music purists. But kudos to Sir Paul for embracing the future in his old age.

These are the types of projects that will help to remove the stigma attached to the use of AI in music production.

Seems like everyone is forgetting that T-Pain was pioneering AI with AT (Auto-Tune) back in the late 90s. By 1998, Cher was a “believer.”

AI in music: Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

🤖 Tuning into AI: Mixed Opinions Strike a Chord in the Music Industry

Summary (by ChatGPT)

• The rise of AI in music production has left the music industry a touch out of tune. A recent survey of 1,533 music producers reveals a mixed chorus of opinions: 17.3% have hit a sour note, viewing AI negatively, while 47.9% are stuck on neutral.

• Much like a new genre, AI is creeping into the mix but hasn't fully taken over the dancefloor yet. Only 36.8% of producers currently employ AI tools, while 30.1% are planning to try them. However, 15.7% feel like they've danced with a robot and found it lacking rhythm.

• Despite some off-key notes, 86.6% of producers believe AI will orchestrate a change in their workflows. Whether this evolution hits the right note, we'll just have to wait for the final performance.

My Take (by… me)

Compared to the recent statistics showing very few people have experimented with ChatGPT, I’m surprised as many as 37% of producers are currently using AI in their production workflow.

You many not understand (or care) about the ways in which AI is becoming more prevalent in music production, but it’s another indicator that like the previously mentioned Auto-Tune, it’s not going anywhere.

The technology will be ridiculed, the trolls will light their torches, and the industry will gnash teeth. Until the moment they don’t.

Like it or not, this is how it’s happened before and how it’ll happen again.

🧠 Brains vs. Bots: How Human Intelligence Might Prevent the Internet from Turning into an AI Junkyard

Summary (by ChatGPT)

• Recent research indicates generative AI models, when trained on other AI-generated data, begin to exhibit 'model collapse', progressively distorting and erasing the original, human-generated data.

• In essence, model collapse turns the web into a bad game of "Telephone." Imagine an AI learning from pictures of 100 cats, 10 blue and 90 yellow. Over time, the AI turns all the cats yellow, because, well, it's what most cats are. This doesn't bode well for blue cats... or minority data, as researchers call it.

• Periodically refreshing the AI with a pristine copy of the original human-generated data can help. Another approach is introducing new, uncontaminated human-generated datasets into their training.

• This could be a golden age for human content creators. The value of original, human-created data seems set to skyrocket. So, while AI models might be churning out drivel, humans still have the power to keep the internet from turning into a playground of AI-generated nonsense.

My Take (by… me)

I put this into the, “they’ll fix this” category of potential AI problems. However, it feels like a real possibility.

I don’t know enough about the LLMs or how they’re programmed. Or how they learn. But I have to believe a “fresh injection of human” (sounds so Soylent Green, right?) will right the ship.

Big takeaway: If you’re a creative human, double down on that. Be a freak, a geek, or an outlier because then your artistic work will rise above.

🎯 Prompts

Note: The PromptHero website was down at the time I wrote this issue. I hope to have prompts included again in next week’s issue.

🎓 Want to learn how to direct ChatGPT in your writing projects? Check out this great course from PromptHero 👇

🎓 Want to learn how to guide AI when generating images and video? Check out this great course from PromptHero 👇

🚀 AI's Gold Rush: 2023's Tech Revival or Dotcom Déjà Vu?

Summary (by ChatGPT)

• Despite the backdrop of inflation, rising interest rates, and recession predictions, AI's "shiny toy" appeal has managed to pull the Nasdaq Composite out of the slump it was in last year. 2023, rise and shine, baby!

• Some are saying we're on the edge of a bubble reminiscent of the dotcom fiasco. But Dan Ives, the tech guru from Wedbush, begs to differ. He's toasting to the beginning of an "AI gold rush" and sees the current scenario as more of a 1995 moment.

• Ives is not just seeing stars, but also comparing AI's potential to the internet and labeling it as the "4th Industrial Revolution." Apparently, this is an "$800 billion opportunity," and the cash register has already started ringing.

My Take (by… me)

2023 will be known as the Year of AI.

I like to stick to news about use of AI for creatives, but this article felt like an important one to share.

I had bet on “web3” to the “4th Industrial Revolution.” And by “web3” I mean crypto, blockchain, and NFTs. While I still believe in that technology, it hasn’t been able to penetrate the mainstream the way AI already has.

You’re early on this. Pat yourself on the back, and let’s party like it’s 1995.

🎶 Generative AI System for Royalty-Free Music

You don’t have to be a musician to need music. Whether it’s for podcasting, YouTube, presentations, or any of your multimedia needs, AI tools are making it easier to get the vibes you want.

“Tracksy is a generative AI system that allows you to easily create your own unique and royalty-free music, without any prior experience.”

Check it out! 👇

🎶Music Generation AI from MusicGen

This could become the “ChatGPT of text-prompted music generation.” I haven’t used it yet, but the interface is simple enough for anyone to try it out.

“This is the demo for MusicGen, a simple and controllable model for music generation presented at: “Simple and Controllable Music Generation”

Check it out! 👇

⭐ AI Superstar - Micah Daigle

Micah Daigle caught my eye with his stunning AI photography featured in Euronews.

From the article:

American creative director Micah Daigle, who has adopted synthography (“AI art”) as part of his design workflow. Daigle trains designers in how to use new tools for AI designs, and uses Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence program, to create art.

His new collection of AI images imagines a “multiverse with photos of people who died too young in our timeline.”

💎 AIconic Images

The Ice Scream

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I’m a qualified, professional, AI artist with 25 years teaching experience and a Masters degree in education. I’m currently doing freelance B2B consulting on a very limited basis. Reach out if you need your staff upskilled on creative AI.

DISCLAIMERS:

I use AI tools to create this newsletter, including but not limited to ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALLE-2. My wife thinks my I is A, but that’s another story.

This issue contains affiliate links. If you click on one and buy something, I get a small % from the seller. There’s no cost to you, and often, using an affiliate link gets you a discount.

Nothing in this newsletter should be considered financial advice, medical advice, marital advice, or advice of any kind. But we can still be friends.