Lincoln musician says artificial intelligence will not replace artists

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Artificial intelligence can create images, write essays and collect data.

But will it ever replace musicians?

Matt Waite, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said AI “predicts what’s coming next.”

“With language models like Chat GPT, it’s looking at enormous amounts of text,” he said. “It’s looking at how works are put together, and then essentially, it’s making a prediction.”

Waite said several companies pull data from across the web to assist AI in creating that prediction.

But what happens when an artist’s style is portrayed by AI?

Newly launched campaigns, such as the Human Artistry Campaign, have already banded together to address challenges presented by AI.

Local musician Darren Keen thinks AI-generated content will not be a replacement for artists.

“I think that eventually, these things will parse themselves out to be more like tools than full-on replacements for musicians and creative people,” he said.

At this time, Waite says it’s unclear how AI will impact the world of music, media and education.

“We’re going to be making adjustments for years and years,” he said. “This is a significant moment in society where we’re going to remember the time before AI and the time after AI.”