Sora hasn't been released yet; OpenAI is working with its creators to get feedback. Its glitches and gimmicks are visible, but Trillio tried to turn them into good things. “The surreal and hallucinatory aspects of AI allow us to explore new ideas we've never dreamed of,” he says. “Simply recreating reality with AI is boring. I wasn't interested in capturing realism, I was interested in something that felt hyperreal.”
Tech enthusiasts are excited about Sora, and Washed Out fans have responded positively to the project, but many have also offered harsh criticism, as they believe it's not only a lesser work of art, but also worry that it could lead to the obsolescence of people working in the creative industries.
In a post on X, Green's contemporary, American electronic pop artist Trevor Powers, also known as Youth Lagoon, slammed the video: “This Washed Out AI video says nothing, does nothing, is nothing. And it's awful.”
On the same platform, Triglio was hit with a barrage of criticism, including one that said: “Whatever your job is (it's obviously not 'artist') I hope the machines take it.”
The YouTube comment thread got so dire (one polite commenter called it “nightmare fuel”) that Green felt compelled to step in. “Whether you're scared, excited, or unsure about these new tools, they're here to stay,” Green defended. “We just need to collectively figure out how to utilize them in the most responsible way.”
AI has been used in music videos, but without much outrage: Earlier this year, Billy Joel's video for “Turn the Lights Back On” mixed real-life footage of the 74-year-old pianist with an AI-generated version of himself, and AI-generated album art and concert posters are already everywhere.
While some of the anger directed at Washed Out is understandable, it also reveals a naivety about how much the music world has been upended by technology in recent decades, not to mention skepticism about the unstoppable march of AI into virtually every field.
These days, video budgets are in the thousands, if not hundreds, of pounds. Videos are no longer made to air on MTV, but to stream on smartphones and tablets. Many are still beautiful, some are still great. But most are lo-fi and perfunctory, a bit of a gimmick to entice online clicks and shares. Anything that helps cash-strapped creators realise their big ideas that might not have been possible before is a good thing, right?
AI stirs a deep fear in every human heart: that we may all be replaced or erased by technology. This is not so different from when 19th century portrait painters protested against photography, or when musicians' unions tried to ban synthesizers because they believed they would end the orchestra. Did video kill the radio star? No.
I'm optimistic that AI will only be as good as the humans who guide it, will never be able to fully decipher complex human emotions, and will at best be nothing more than another tool in creators' boxes. Conversations about ethical use are necessary, and videos like “The Hardest Part” are a great way to start them. “I hope this video can help broaden that discussion,” Greene said.
Malcolm Jack I am a freelance journalist.
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