tag > Comment
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High WEIRD-ness
Watching the keynotes of any of the US tech giants in 2023, i find it rather surprising how they are still - despite their "diversity" push in recent years - laser focused on products made exclusively for the WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich & Democratic) demographic, which represents a mere 12% of the worlds population. Meanwhile, Asian tech giants are successfully serving billions across the non western world with products driven by strikingly different visions. Who do you think will win in the mid term?
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As Generative AI is making content creation at scale accessible to all, traditional moderation & censorship strategies stand to be overwhelmed. The tidal wave of generated content will make it very challenging for any authority to observe, orient, decide & act in effective ways.
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Soft Wireheading Music
The perception of music — its appeal to an individual in specific contexts and the emotions it evokes — has traditionally been highly subjective. Though recommender systems have provided some insights in recent years, understanding this domain largely remained elusive. However, with the rise of contemporary machine learning and BCI, modeling audience's perception and responses to media is rapidly increasing in precision. By integrating these affective models with generative music models in a dynamic feedback loop, we get a glimpse of a groundbreaking new form of media, that enable users to deliberately and precisely alter their mental states. Such "soft wireheading" techniques have expansive applications, ranging from entertainment and healthcare to education and defense.
But more importantly:
In an age where our senses are perpetually bombarded by external stimuli, it's worth remembering this insight from meditation: It's entirely possible to cultivate an inner state of profound tranquility and bliss at any moment, independent of any 'external' catalyst.
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The narrative surrounding AI music technology is currently often rather primitive: "Hey, I've created an AI that generates music automatically. Isn't that awesome? The end."
However, any seasoned music producer may question: "Where are the creative controls? How does this fit into my workflow? Is this just a toy or will AI replace me?"
We have the opportunity and responsibility to elevate the conversation and focus on how AI can augment music production, inspire new creative processes, and empower artists, fans and businesses.
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Fear is the puppet master behind all the world's wicked manipulation & control schemes. But remember, you can't laugh and be afraid at the same time. Thanks to Computational Comedy, we now have the means to scale humor and turn the world into a comedy club.
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Google recently pinned a post "Our principles for partnering with the music industry on AI technology" Despite the vague jargon being thrown around like "responsible AI use", it is clear that the emerging model they are proposing is tailored to, and dominated by, corporate giants like Google and UMG. Their commitment to supporting artists seems to be a mere platitude, with main focus being on creating a closed source system, optimized for their profit and control. This potential 'generative land-grab' is a chilling prospect in an already highly centralized media landscape.
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A society that systemically disrespects the rights of non-human life (animals, plants, etc.) but celebrates the rights of machines, is inherently insane.
The currently popular notion that "more energy use = better outcomes overall" is naive juvenile nonsense. Nature strives for ecological coherence in a complex web of life-forms, that are hyper attuned to their environment, use energy highly efficiently and create minimal waste.
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We are heading into a world of "self-optimizing media experiences", where in a data-driven feedback loop, generative systems continuously adjust parameters to meet the demands of fine grained customer segments. Coming sooner than many think, with K-Pop doing this already at scale today.
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It's amazing how giant orgs (big tech, intel, etc.) where everything is highly compartmentalized and on a strict "need to know" basis manage to get anything done at all. This modus operandi might work ok to manage specialized savant geniuses, but is dysfunctional for most else.
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Relax
Relaxation is one of the most complex phenomena. It is very rich and multidimensional. Just relax and let things be as they are, that is the meaning of meditation.
To learn about the value of relaxation, experience intense stress and tension: Tension means hurry, fear, doubt - a constant effort to protect, to be secure, to be safe, to prepare for the tomorrow now.
Relaxation is an art: like other arts, the more you practice the more proficient you become. The more relaxed you are physically, the easier it is to relax mentally. Gradually and gently, slow down every process. Don’t be in a hurry, don’t be in haste, don't seek, don't demand - relax. If you relax, things magically fall in place.
Total relaxation is the ultimate and possible. It brings the greatest joy, acceptance. Your life will have the quality of dance to it.
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WEIRD Pseudo Intellectual BS Entertainment
The intellectual discussion space (podcasts, etc.) in the west is a self-assured echo chamber. They're dominated by a homogenous group of WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) individuals, lots of white males, who ardently convince themselves they've unraveled the secrets of the universe. Despite the captivating display of intellectual gymnastics, perhaps driven by a subconscious fear of mortality, the extreme lack of diverse perspectives makes these discussions ultimately a dance of delusion and squandering of time.
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“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” – Haruki Murakami
Replace "books" with websites and apps and it's even more true.
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Audio Reality Check
The vast majority of audio consumed in the past 20y+ is just a component of other media artifacts & has little todo with the music industry & art. The vast majority of audio is industrially created today & has little todo with artisanal processes. AI audio is a natural evolution
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Wondering how many teams have written the ethics section on their site with ChatGPT and how ethical that is...
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Human-Centered Machine Learning
Designing Human-Centered Machine Learning systems is a great challenge & opportunity. Instead of trying to replace humans, aim to empower them with tools that play to their natural strengths. Especially in creative domains, human-in-the-loop systems are an under-explored frontier.
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The existences of many peculiar discontinuities and inconsistencies in humanity's science and technology tree, coupled with the extrem dogmatism of mainstream scientific narratives, begs the question: Could there be a highly advanced, secretive breakaway civilization on Earth, orchestrating events from behind the scenes? It certainly would strengthen my faith in science and humanity...
