When the city of Richmond Posted a public service video Two weeks ago, it was generated by artificial intelligence technology (AI), and the comment section quickly filled with negative feedback.
But while the public was sharing their thoughts, the video’s creator, a Richmond resident with a long history in music, media, and the arts, was weighing in on this new and controversial technology, giving his opinion.
Adolphus Maples III emerged on the Richmond scene as a rapper, DJ, and producer named Danja Mouf – a member of Famous SupaFriendz Group. He then moved into media production for Richmond Magazine. pay attention to his work He has appeared in the TV series “24” and the video game “The Sims.”
So if you think he has a lot of ideas about AI and its implications, you’d be right.
“To be honest, I’m still wrestling with this as well,” he said in a phone conversation Wednesday.
His company, Maples Media Group, was approached by the City of Richmond Department of Public Works to produce public service announcements. He said he was told he needed to act quickly because the video would be completed within a week.
He said the DPU does not require AI-generated videos, but even if it is out of cost (the city He said he paid $2,250.), it would not have been possible to create a complete production within that period.
“It was the only way it could happen,” he said. “So you can’t even hire a big-budget agency in the film industry and change something like that in a few days.”
(In an email Thursday, the city said it had two videos left in its contract with Maples, but “at this time, future videos are scheduled to use traditional footage.”)
As a producer, Maples said he often works with new technologies, which is how he built his AI skillset. He said his thoughts on technology as a whole go beyond the videos he created for the city.
“I don’t want this to be a DPU issue, but there are deeper issues here that we all have to deal with,” he said. “We’re trying to separate the good from the bad in technology.”
Maples compared it to the early days of rap and hip-hop, when producers sampled the work of others, drawing scorn from outside observers.
“You could sample anything, but in that case the artist wasn’t paid,” he said. “Then the same people on the outside are saying, ‘Rap isn’t music.’ It’s the same thing. Someone’s saying, ‘You’re just writing prompts.’ AI does more than just write prompts. It’s complicated. It takes a lot of time to get certain results. ”
He cited two AI video generation tools he’s worked on, Kling and Higgsfield, and said it takes hours to adjust a video to look just right.
However, that doesn’t mean he fully embraces the technology. He understands the potential societal concerns, whether it’s the proliferation of data centers or potential job losses in creative fields.
“For me, it’s great to be honest with other people. We’re just dealing with things as they happen,” he said. “I think this problem will eventually subside, but we know that as in history, people will lose their jobs and a lot of jobs will be created.
“If we don’t continue to evolve and be careful about how we use this technology, we have to take responsibility. People who are angry about this have a point, but I think they’re misguided.”
Maples mentioned a musical analogy.
“It’s the same reason hip-hop was born and was able to flourish,” he says. “I’ve seen both and they’re very similar. I mean, as a kid who didn’t know how to play music, you sampled a record and put a beat on it and now you have a song? That’s a renaissance.
“We’re in another renaissance right now, which means ordinary people, somebody can sit down at their laptop. And this goes beyond the DPU. You sit down at your laptop and have the power to do anything.”
He said he hopes to eventually create a structure where creators can receive compensation when their work is used to create something new, similar to the sampling of records in music.
And he believes that rather than musicians losing their jobs, people will embrace the humanity of live performance.
“People are going to need to see people do something,” he said. “They’re going to want to see the performance. They’re going to want to see the imperfections. They’re going to want to see it come out of your mouth.”
Please contact Michael Phillips. mphillips@richmonder.org.
