Progress, a real pain in the ass.

 

While writing many reviews, I get stuck more and more often with regard to judging the artwork and whether or not it was made by, or with the help of, AI. At the moment I'm reviewing the new album by Scottish proggers Pallas and the accompanying artwork is really stunning. Responsible artist is Mike Bentley and his creations are truly beautiful, but wait a minute, is this all AI? Where does the definition of creativity actually begin? If something is so beautiful, does it matter how someone did it? Isn't it just the result that counts?

In our beloved genre, we have been spoiled in recent decades with countless beautiful covers of iconic albums or forgotten prog pearls. For me, a beautiful cover is part of the overall product. What would Script for a Jester's Tear be without that beautiful cover of Wilkinson, what if Yes and Roger Dean hadn't met or Rodney Matthews and Magnum. Of course, it's all about the music, but I dare say; the cover matters.

I would hate it if the many famous artists who have given us so many beautiful covers of LPs and CDs would lose out to AI. Where people like Roger Dean, Rodney Matthews, Mark Wilkinson, Hugh Syme, Storm Thorgerson and all those other greats have always worked up a sweat to provide musical ideas with appropriate artwork, nowadays four-year-olds can conjure up the most fantastic images if you give them access to a computer with the necessary software.

The twofold question is, of course, is this progress and if so, can you stop it? After all, we can do amazing things with and through AI. Think of all the medical applications and innovations in the technical field in the broadest sense. But what about humans? I don't have to explain to you how many books and films, once labelled as science fiction, have been made in which man ultimately loses out to machines and technology.

So why does this fit on a site about music, and especially a genre that is not really able to bind the youth to itself and may be threatened with extinction, even without AI being involved? Then I come back to the introductory shelling of this column. Can I like artwork made with the help of AI? Am I selling the entire artists' guild short?

I myself have made a few images with the help of AI, for a birthdaycard or as the front page of a folder at work. I once did that to create a fictional family crest as a joke. It is indeed childishly simple and the result is often surprisingly effective. I'm certainly not a computer wizzard, so I can imagine what a handy IT person could make.

I also think of the fact that a musician or band that wanted to use the services of the aforementioned artists sometimes had to dig very deep into their pockets. That was/is simply not for everyone. You can't compare a band like Pink Floyd with the struggling generation of young prog bands. Didn’t they make a song called Money. Sure, they have achieved and earned that themselves, but that's just how it works.

I understand the bands who want to bring a, in their eyes great musical product which they have worked on with heart and soul, to the market with a meagre budget, in a nice package without taking out a second mortgage. Especially if the option is so easy to lift with the use of AI. With the best will in the world, you can't blame anyone for that.

In a general sense, it is simply the case that advancing technology has the unpleasant side effect that outdated techniques disappear, or continue to exist in the margins. Is that perhaps something for the artists who still do real handiwork? A kind of elite guild that can make such beautiful things that they stand out from the AI crowd. But yes, the word elite says it all, is this only reserved for the wealthy on this earth? We'll see. Stopping progress has never been possible and learning to live with it is the motto now. And yes, as a music lover, of course you can like the cover of an album made with the help of AI. I am not ashamed to say that I adore the artwork by Mike Bentley and I don’t care how he did it. I wish every artist a good career and a good life, but the fact is that the current developments do not make it any easier for them.

But oh my god, what if the music is also composed by AI? A real pain in the ass, progress.