Last week, Washed Out released a music video created using the text video AI tool Sora. This was touted as OpenAI's first formal commission with Sora and his musician-filmmaker-video director Paul Trillo. Washed Out leader Ernest Green immediately faced backlash over the AI video, including criticism from Youth Lagoon's Trevor Powers.
In a new interview with rolling stone, Ms. Green responded to this criticism. “For me, this is just a whole new tool to explore,” he said. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who don’t like anything related to AI art at all.”
“I've never seen anyone compare the look of video to any other production, whether it's film, animation or anything else,” Green continued. “I think Paul was able to do something here that felt very unique. Yes, I think that's a great skill.”
“Could we be more transparent about how these models are created? Absolutely,” said video director Trillo. rolling stone. “If we hadn't been there, would anyone else have made the first Sora music video? That would have happened. I use every technology to do what's unique to that technology and open up new kinds of visual modes. I see it as an opportunity.”
another interview Los Angeles Times An investigation last week found that Trillo and Greene did not pay OpenAI any fees to use Sora, nor did they appear to be paid by OpenAI to promote the technology. is.
“The deal with music videos is that you don't hire a ton of people anyway,” Trillo said. rolling stone. “I'm not going to give people full day rates anyway. Those were always things I did out of passion…but the other reality is things like this aren't going away.”
in tweet thread Greene also addressed the criticism earlier this week: It's clear that this video served as a springboard for discussing a wide range of topics, including aesthetics, authenticity, ownership, and many concerns about how AI will impact our lives. ,” he wrote. He continued:
My new album is not an AI album, nor does it have an AI-focused theme, but as a big fan of science and technology, I'm very excited about the creative possibilities of these new tools.
Like I said before, this feels like a natural extension of other experimental music videos I've made in the past.
I also want to acknowledge the serious concerns that people have shared with me through comments and DMs.
After reading them, I feel more educated on both sides of the debate and realize that there is an important distinction to be made between responsible and irresponsible use of tools.
It's clear that we're in the early stages of understanding the difference, and if anything, I hope this video can serve to expand that discussion.
Whether you're scared, excited, or confused about these new tools, they're here to stay. We just need to collectively figure out the most responsible way to utilize them.
