AI and the Future of Music: Finding Light in the Unknown

Let's start with honesty: yes, I use AI in my creative process. And no, I don't believe this makes my work any less authentic or meaningful.

While headlines paint AI as either a creative apocalypse or technological salvation, my experience exists in the nuanced middle ground. I've found AI to be neither a replacement for human creativity nor a perfect solution—but rather a powerful tool that expands what's possible for someone like me who has stories to tell but lacks traditional musical training.

Beyond the Fear Narrative

What fascinates me most is how we're developing new languages for creative expression. The fear narrative around AI often assumes creativity is a fixed resource being redistributed—as though inspiration is a finite pie being sliced differently. But what if creativity is more like a conversation that evolves with new participants?

For centuries, professionally produced music required expensive equipment, studios, formal training, and industry connections. A $1,000+ price tag per song kept most voices out of the conversation entirely.

Now someone with poetic sensibilities but limited technical skills can still bring their sonic vision to life. This means we'll hear from voices that have historically been excluded from music production—voices exploring topics and emotions that mainstream gatekeepers might consider too niche or uncommercial.

Opening New Creative Territories

In my case, AI has allowed me to create nearly ten albums exploring emotional territories that aren't often charted in our current musical landscape. From the contradictions we all live with to the strange new intimacies of digital life, these are human experiences that deserve expression.

I approach AI as a collaborator rather than a tool. When I write a poem or lyrics, that's entirely human. When I create detailed briefs describing the instruments, emotional qualities, transitions, and influences I want—that's human creative direction.

Sometimes this collaboration surprises me with something I wouldn't have considered, pushing me in new directions. But the decisions about what to keep, modify, or discard remain mine. The final emotional imprint comes from human post-processing, where mixing and mastering engineers bring warmth and resonance that makes the music truly connect.

Finding Light in the Unknown

I've always been someone who looks for ways to find light in dark places, to simplify the difficult, and to add nuance where it's missing. I approach AI with this same philosophy—seeking possibilities rather than limitations.

Are there legitimate concerns about AI in creative fields? Absolutely. We need clear standards for attribution and compensation. We need ethical guidelines for how these systems are trained and deployed. But addressing these challenges doesn't mean rejecting the technology wholesale.

The Human-Machine Creative Future

The most exciting creative future I can imagine isn't human OR machine—it's human AND machine, working together to create experiences that neither could achieve alone. It's a future where more voices find expression, where different perspectives enrich our cultural conversation, and where technology serves human creativity rather than replacing it.

I don't hide the fact that I use AI—I celebrate it as part of my unique creative approach. At the same time, I ensure that human expertise, emotion, and intention remain central throughout the process. The result is music that could only exist through this particular collaboration between human and machine—music that I hope reaches someone somewhere who needs to hear exactly these stories.

My Collaborative Process

Here's what collaboration with AI actually looks like in practice:

Human Elements:

• Writing poetry and lyrics (100% human)
• Creating detailed creative briefs with specific vision
• Making decisions about what to keep, modify, or discard
• Working with mixing/mastering engineers for final polish
• Curating the emotional journey of an album
• Determining which stories deserve to be told

AI Elements:

• Translating creative direction into initial compositions
• Suggesting unexpected approaches or variations
• Handling technical execution of musical ideas
• Generating options for human evaluation

The Result: Music that maintains human emotional core and creative vision while benefiting from expanded technical possibilities.

The Democratization Question

Some worry about AI democratizing music production creating a flood of low-quality content. But gatekeeping based on access to expensive equipment and formal training has always excluded worthy voices. The question isn't whether we'll get more music—we will. The question is whether we're willing to wade through abundance to find the gems that couldn't have existed before.

I believe audiences are sophisticated enough to make their own choices about what resonates. If my AI-assisted music connects with someone, creates meaning, or provides comfort—does it matter that my technical process differs from traditional methods?

Looking Forward

The future of music isn't about choosing between human authenticity and technological possibility. It's about exploring what becomes possible when we combine them thoughtfully, ethically, and with clear intention to expand rather than replace human creativity.

I'm excited to be part of this exploration, finding light in the unknown territories where human poetry meets machine collaboration, where ancient storytelling traditions find new sonic forms, and where voices that might never have been heard can finally find expression.

The conversation continues. I hope you'll join it.