Do you see these AI generators as tools or collaborators? And do you think you are in control of that?
It’s important to define what control means in this context. With any new tool, there’s an element of unpredictability, but I still feel in control—more in a sci-fi sense. I don’t feel like it’s controlling my mind or anything. I’m the one providing input and I’m curious to see what AI does with it. Then, based on that, I’ll ask the next questions. Sometimes I use them purely as tools, other times as collaborators. For example, with the albums I release under the name Scope Creep, AI is essentially a collaborator. All the album artwork for Scope Creep is generated using AI.
You use them as tools to write songs and album covers under your alias of Scope Creep. How do you “collaborate” with AI generators to begin an album? How does it end?
Honestly, I’m still figuring that out. I know an album starts when I’m excited and obsessively creating music. I tell myself I’m making an album, but in reality, I’m just making demos or sketches. Over the past three albums, I’ve found that when I return to those sketches a month or two later, I’ve accumulated enough songs to form a complete album. There often isn’t an intentional narrative connecting the songs. The common thread is usually the emotion or tone, which becomes the underlying concept. I’d love to make a coherent concept album one day, but for now, my excitement leads me to create a collection of random songs.
The AI-generated art comes at the end and is usually dictated by the album’s title. The artwork you see is almost always generated from the title, which adds a novel-like concept to the project. With many of these albums, there are no lyrics, so the title and artwork serve as the initial prompt for listeners, setting the tone before they even hear the music. I love using words, and the titles act as a secondary prompt for listeners. The first experience is the visual one—the artwork—which often looks like a painting, and then the music follows. It’s like using AI to make music where text becomes the instrument.
As an artist, do you think AI technology is an open door to the future of creativity and music?
It’s a controversial topic, but I think it’s important to broaden my understanding of how to interact with AI. I see it both as a collaborator and as a tool that can handle some of the more tedious tasks, allowing me to focus on the aspects of the creative process I value most. Rather than an open door, I’d describe AI as an open window—an opportunity for fresh ideas to come in. It’s up to each person to decide whether to open that window. Ultimately, the door to the future is always open, driven by the individual’s emotions and self-expression.
Do you think AI can mimic emotions?
It’s hard to pinpoint. While AI can create images or sounds that evoke emotion, it can’t truly replicate the depth of human experiences and cultural backgrounds. I believe that anything, even inanimate objects, can make us feel something, so it’s less about AI mimicking emotions and more about how we react to what it creates. My work with AI has taught me the importance of understanding myself and my emotional input. This self-reflection is key to how I use AI creatively.