Live Music vs. AI: Can True Connection be Computed

I love music. It's one of life's great pleasures and a language that translates to most people. Last weekend, I was at a music festival in Germany, right in the thick of the energy and emotion. Watching some of my all-time favourite bands performing live was a kind of soul food that's hard to put into words. And let's not forget the incredible people I met, just as hooked on the music as I am. It was a potent reminder of the community we're all a part of.

As you know, I'm knee-deep in the generative AI and marketing world. So naturally, my mind started to wander to all those claims you hear about AI replacing musicians and killing the industry. But here's the question: can AI recreate that soul-stirring, heart-pounding feeling of watching an artist you love perform live? I mean, really?

I can see that for some genres that lean heavily on computer-generated beats or extensive autotune, there might be a feeling of trepidation. As a singer who performs blues, I don't know how generative AI would ever replace an online performance. It's a genre where each performance is unique, shaped not just by the musicians but by the audience, the atmosphere, and the emotion in the room on that night. It's a one-night-only kind of magic that I find hard to believe AI could replicate.

Will AI ever replace the feeling of being there in person, watching a talented musician pour their heart into a performance? Watching them improvise on stage, play off their bandmates, and create something totally unique and one-of-a-kind? That's a tall order.

What concerns me is this: the younger generations growing up now might never know the thrill of seeing incredible musicians perform live. If that's their reality, then maybe AI music won't feel like a loss.

Here's my take. Talent and experience have the upper hand over the algorithm. Who knows what the future holds? But for now, I will keep riding that live music wave and feeling the emotions and connection it brings.