Why AI will kill bad art — not real artists

As the threat of artificial intelligence looms, artists of every medium are beginning to worry that their craft may no longer be a craft — and that like many others, their professions may be in trouble.

However, Stephen Limbaugh, a composer and concert pianist whose work has been performed by the Russian Philharmonic, has been featured at the White House and the Golden Globes, and is releasing an upcoming symphony for America’s 250th birthday, doesn’t share that concern.

“Authenticity is what people still crave, whether it’s their pop stars, or their composers, or their movies, or ... any form of artist,” Limbaugh tells James Poulos on “Zero Hour.” “Somebody who it doesn’t feel like they’re just setting themselves up to sling a perfume on Instagram.”

“So, you’re not worried at all?” Poulos asks.

“No, because you can’t make art by calculation. You got a concert pianist in a concert, solo concert, he’s going to play a sequence of thirty-something-thousand notes, and he’s going to play it with like 99.5% accuracy, if he’s great, which is remarkable that he’s going to do that from memory,” Limbaugh explains.

“He’s not going to make a single calculation. AI cannot attempt that without making calculations. So, whenever the inspiration is striking, whenever you have the producer in the room,” he continues, “AI is never going to be able to make a suggestion like that. They might be able to take a bunch of information about how records were made and all this, and then they’ll calculate a suggestion for this and that.”

“Not worried about it, because it’s not going to be right,” he adds.

Want more from James Poulos?

To enjoy more of James's visionary commentary on politics, tech, ideas, and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.