Podcast Ep.#7 – “AI… The Topic We Just Can’t Ignore”

Overview

AI comes up between Keppie and Benny almost every day, yet they have rarely talked about it publicly, and Benny admits it’s the topic he finds hardest to discuss. Setting the bigger debates aside, they keep the focus on songwriters and the act of making songs: why the technology appeals to so many people, the real problems it can solve, how each of them chooses to work, and the risks worth watching for. Neither claims to be an expert or tells anyone else what to do. What they offer instead are honest questions about why you write, and which parts of the process you want to keep as your own.

Episode Highlights

A song the whole family loved
Keppie tells the story of a dark, witchy pop song that she and both her kids played on repeat for a week, and what changed for all of them when she found out where it came from.

Two kinds of appeal
Benny sees two reasons songwriters reach for AI, one technical and one psychological. We talk through both, from the cost of finding session players to the loneliness of writing, and why Keppie and Benny won’t tell anyone in their community not to use it if it helps them make music.

Why outsource the yoga
Benny doesn’t use AI to write songs, and he explains why with a definition of satisfaction he loves and the physical feel of strings under his fingers. Keppie shares the yoga comparison that sums up how they both feel.

A tool for trying things
Benny can see the appeal of hearing one idea in many different styles, and also why he’d still rather find the right session player (like choosing the right shade of blue for a painting). Keppie looks at who these products are really built for.

Use it or lose it
A study of medical specialists found their skills slipped after months of relying on AI. Keppie describes noticing something similar in her own writing, and offers a simple test for whether a tool is making you a stronger songwriter or a weaker one.

One of one
We finish with a question songwriters often ask: how do I find my voice? Benny reads a passage from writer Dave Eggers about why handing that search to a machine too quickly can mean missing it altogether.