Don't be terrified. Get activated.

"You can't be mystified by AI. You cannot be terrified by it."

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia

Celticado on Stage

Nearly every musician I know is afraid of AI. I wrote about that recently, and then Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said it plainer than I could:

"You can't be mystified by AI. You cannot be terrified by it. You have to find a way to activate yourself to take advantage of it."

He calls this the beginning of a new industrial revolution. Not in the production of energy or food, but the production of intelligence.

We've been here before

I've played fiddle since 1966. I've watched musicians fear the drum machine, the synthesizer, home recording, MP3s, and streaming. Each time, the players who did best weren't the ones who hid. They learned the new tool, kept what made them human, and got back to work.

What AI can't do, and what it can

AI won't sit in a kitchen and hear your grandmother's story. It won't know why a tune makes your uncle cry. That's still our job.

But it can do the research, the artwork, the paperwork, and the hundred chores that keep musicians from making music: press emails, show listings, release notes, social posts, bookkeeping, and finding the people who might actually want to hear what you play.

You own your own data

Huang said one more thing every artist should take to heart: "You own your own data. Nobody owns it." Your songs, your recordings, your stories. Own them, protect them, and use these tools on your own terms, not someone else's.

Fear keeps us small. Curiosity keeps us working.

If you're a musician who's afraid of AI, drop me a line. I'm glad to tell you how I'm using it, and how I'm not.

Still made by hand

Curious how I use AI?

Get in touch through linktr.ee/verve413

Verve Music, Granby, Massachusetts. A Pioneer Valley company.

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