Clark Hamel: AI doesn't destroy music as we know it. Just as drum machines did not destroy opportunities for drummers, they were used as tools to create, and instead opened up new paths for creativity. Today it is difficult to find a top tour or album where drummers do not use samples, pads, triggers, or some kind of loop.
Q. Does AI create new opportunities for musicians?
Freeman: Most technology creates opportunities, at least for some. I don't know what they look like, and I don't know what other skills the musicians need. We must help AI work for us and make better music.
Clark Hamel: While some new opportunities will inevitably arise, AI will also destroy many training grounds that promising musicians have traditionally relied on. AI can lower the barriers to entry for some musicians and reduce the skills they need, but it also allows many people to become more creative. It's too early to determine whether the new opportunities AI creates will be better or worse.
Q. Does AI affect the appeal of live performances?
Freeman: Recording drum boxes and multi-instrumental recordings such as keyboards were not very good for the ensemble, but they created some opportunities. When AI music isn't big, there are more human opportunities. Overall, I have hope.
Clark Hamel: Listeners long for enjoying authentic, immersive, previously unfeasible performances. Both of these will be available for live performances. But the only way to actually experience “real” and know it's real is to see it firsthand.
Not only does AI lead to a new era of thriving for live performances, it also longs for performances that are as untouched by AI as people enjoy performances enhanced by AI.
