birth of chatgpt This brought up a collection of concerns about how large language models allow users to quickly destroy processes that require human time, effort, passion, and understanding. And what's more, the tech sector's often stormy relationship with regulation and ethical oversight has left many fearful of a future where artificial intelligence will replace humans at work and stifle human creativity.
Although much of this warning is well founded, we should also consider the possibility that human creativity may flourish in this age AyeIn 2025, we will begin to see this manifest in our collective cultural response to technology. To examine how culture and creativity can adapt to the age of AI, we'll use hip-hop as an example. This is one of the most profitable forms music ever invented, and one that has already been influenced by larger language models. We've all heard and seen AI-powered rap songs from popular artists go viral, easily mistaken for authentic, original music. For example, during the recent rap feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, an AI-generated song called “One Shot” was released, and incorrectly attributed to Lamar. In 2025 we should expect more AI-generated fake music, especially fueled by the social media circus, where the loudest and most provocative music can capture the instant attention of millions of people.
We believe that creative engagement with AI will begin to take three different forms in 2025.
The first could be described as “complete dedication”: don't run away from technology, but instead focus on the fact that artificial intelligence can create terabytes of music in minutes, much of it as enjoyable as the music made by our favorite artists. Is. Although this strategy would involve leaving music-making to robots, human-driven aspects of music culture would remain. For example, a human element remains in how AI produces music (think successful DJs), and in a new industry of art critics and commentators. This is not dissimilar to the TikTok influencers who are currently fueling the widespread popularity of relics in art and technology. Human-led discussion of AI products could be big business, and will give rise to an avant-garde culture that will compare and evaluate this progress.
The second strategy would involve indirectly incorporating artificial intelligence into the arts, where creativity would become a healthy mix of human and machine. In the case of hip-hop, artists like 50 Cent have recently spoken about their enjoyment of AI-assisted country-music renditions of hip-hop classics (often created for humor). This is a model we'll continue to see: AI-assisted reimaginings or remixes of classic songs. Furthermore, we can see an expansion on this model: the growth of the battle-rap scene driven by AI algorithms trained on data sets of human artists. Or perhaps even a rap duo composed of two members: a rapper and their AI-trained sidekick (with refrain hooks composed by a mix of human and AI singers).
This kind of robo-Franken-hip-hop leaves a lot of room for clever juxtapositions and could give rise to whole new subgenres of music. This would also have business implications: artists could be remunerated based on their training data, which could be an improvement on past and present hip-hop business models. The possibilities are as limited as the infinite combination of human ingenuity and computational power.
Finally, 2025 will mark the formal beginning of a great irony: AI art will foster a new appreciation for classical man-made remains. Because AI creations will increasingly surpass humans in quantity, highly prized human remains will become more valuable. For example, one of the messages that came out of the celebration of 50 years of hip-hop was that society still lacks a general appreciation for the art. Less than a dozen hip-hop artists or groups have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Furthermore, very few of hip-hop's founding works are rich, as they created art during an era when it was not financially lucrative. Just as a retro-tech industry has emerged that celebrates the simple tools of yesterday, we will see a renewed appreciation for the music of the analog era.
The rise of AI and related technologies will shed a new light on the original music that was created before its advent. This would lead to an appreciation of proto-hip-hop, which could turn into a lucrative industry based around the preservation of original music and the associated valuation of artists. AI could aid in the genesis of hip-hop, finally giving it the respect it has always deserved, and achieving a place among the high arts.
Human technology and art are two entities defined by their ability to surprise us. Yes, the relationship between creativity and AI will be stormy in the immediate future, but 2025 will be a turning point where we begin to embrace greater possibilities. Maybe there is a creative light at the end of the technology tunnel, where analog-era art forms like hip-hop can flourish in the land of big language models and whatever the age of AI will bring.