Author: Kaydin

Kaydin Chappel’s PSA Project

November 6, 2024 / Kaydin / 0 Comments

Brainstorm Notes

AI and Hip-Hop
AI and R&B
AI and the Black Music Industry
AI and Rap
AI and Audio Engineering

AI impact or disruption to the music industry
AI replacement of human labor in Audio Engineering
Can AI recreate vocal techniques like riffs

PSA’s That I liked:

1. After 2026, the music industry will not be the same!

Youtube. (2024, August 6). After 2026, the music industry will not be the same!.Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfOv38YbHq

2. The Future is Scary for Musicians…

Youtube. (2023, August 8). The Future is Scary for Musicians…Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfOv38YbHq

Articles:

Baker, S. (2024, June 2024). The Intersectionality of Black Music Artists & AI: Are They Apart Of The Conversation. Essence GU. https://girlsunited.essence.com/feedback/gu-artificial-intelligence-black-music-artist/

Halpren, S. (2023, December 8). The Year A.I. Ate the Internet. The New Yorker. https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/profscanlan-english1121-fall2024-d536/files/2024/02/Halpern-AI-at-the-Internet-NewYorker-2023.pdf

Henkin, D. (2023, Dec 5). Orchestrating The Future – AI In the Music Industry. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhenkin/2023/12/05/orchestrating-the-future-ai-in-the-music-industry/

Metz, C. et al. (2023, December 3). Ego, Fear and Money. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/technology/ai-openai-musk-page-altman.html

Seabrook, J. (2024, January 29, 2024). Inside the Music Industry’s High-Stakes A.I. Experiments. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/05/inside-the-music-industrys-high-stakes-ai-experiments

Three Versions of my PSA:

Version 1:

My own thought:

AI is already a controversial topic in many industries and many are scared they’ll be the next subjects of structural unemployment. However, one industry where historically workers are erased and their work “professionally plagiarized” – as I like to call it, is the music industry. Time and time again especially in the early stages of black soul and R&B music it was usually barred from entering mainstream white radio stations but flipped and stolen by white musicians. Currently in the early stages of AI, on social media platforms we can see AI replicating celebrity voices like those of Beyoncé, Drake, and even the late Michael Jackson. Most of the music sounds robotic and most can tell when it’s AI, because just like in writing AI cannot capture emotion and in music – soulful vocal displays. Beyoncé specifically is known for deep growls in her music at the ends of words in songs with sensitive subject matter, this technique cannot be recreated by AI. Companies are even able to avoid lawsuits under the claim that the utilization of the software is harmless. Another aspect under consideration is audio engineering which is a broad category that encompasses production of beats, backing vocals, and ultimately the final touches on a song. While the largest music production company UMG almost automatically endorsed and invested in AI contribution software in not only audio engineering but other facets like songwriting. Ultimately, music is such an intimate and personal experience which is why different people around the world have their own genres. Music is rooted in global expression of their cultural struggles and identities, artificial intelligence cannot create that very real experience of making and consuming music.

Version 2

ChatGPT Prompt #1:

Rewrite this prompt to be smoother and to discuss more about the dangers of AI’s erasure of creativity. What this means specifically for marginalized communities that use music as an expression of social struggle and identity.

ChatGPT Response:

The rapid rise of AI is sparking intense debate across industries, as many fear the technology could lead to structural unemployment and the erasure of human creativity. Nowhere is this concern more poignant than in the music industry, where erasure and exploitation have a long history. Black soul, jazz, and early R&B, for instance, were often sidelined from mainstream radio, only to have their styles appropriated by white artists who profited from these innovations. Today, the threat to original artistry is coming from a different direction: artificial intelligence. We already see AI replicating the voices of icons like Beyoncé, Drake, and even the late Michael Jackson—artificial renditions that, while technologically impressive, still sound hollow. These replicas lack the emotional depth and cultural specificity that only human artistry brings. For example, the emotional growls that Beyoncé layers into songs dealing with sensitive themes cannot be reproduced by algorithms.

The impacts of AI on creativity extend even further in music production, with major companies like Universal Music Group investing heavily in AI software for audio engineering, beat production, and songwriting. This embrace of AI signals a troubling shift, suggesting that corporate efficiency might outweigh the preservation of human expression in music.

For marginalized communities, especially those who have used music as a tool for social protest, identity, and resilience, AI poses a unique threat. Music born from struggle and the experience of oppression is deeply personal, woven from cultural nuances and histories that AI cannot replicate. For Black communities, Latinx communities, Indigenous artists, and other historically marginalized groups, music isn’t just sound—it’s a lifeline to history, identity, and shared experience. By allowing AI to erase the human hand in music creation, we risk silencing these voices once again, this time under the guise of technological progress.

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (October 2023 version) [Large language model]. OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/

Version 3:

ChatGPT Prompt #2:

Rearrange this PSA as a pitch for an audience that is scared to pursue music for fear of AI erasure but has stories to tell through music on how to get on top of AI utilization or preserve creativity so authentically that AI isn’t needed for the near future.

ChatGPT Response:

If you’ve ever felt hesitant to pursue music because of AI’s impact on the industry, remember: your voice and story are your strongest assets—ones that AI simply cannot replicate. While the tech world is rapidly advancing, the heart of music remains the same: it’s about telling real stories, expressing genuine emotions, and connecting with listeners on a personal level. This is especially true for artists from marginalized communities, where music has long been a vessel for sharing social struggles, celebrating identity, and preserving culture. AI might be able to generate sounds, but it can’t authentically convey the nuances of cultural histories, lived experiences, or the deep emotions that make music feel alive.

For artists with stories to tell, consider how you can preserve and elevate your creativity to stand out in a world where AI is gaining traction. Focus on developing your unique voice, refining the skills that make your music authentically you. Lean into elements like soulful vocal techniques, storytelling through lyrics, and innovative beats that reflect your personal and cultural background. Create music that resonates emotionally with listeners, and build a connection that no algorithm can replicate.

You can also explore ways to integrate AI as a tool rather than a replacement. Use AI-driven software selectively in production to streamline certain technical aspects without compromising your creative essence. By balancing tech with authenticity, you can harness AI’s strengths without losing what makes your music original.

Now is the time to double down on what makes you irreplaceable as an artist. Pursue your music knowing that no machine can replicate the authenticity and depth of human expression. AI might change the industry, but it will never replace the power of a true, human voice

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (October 2023 version) [Large language model]. OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/

Comparison Essay:

My PSA definitely holds bias, I wanted to speak to people not AI so I was holding a stance against the use of AI. I hold art in high regard and want to pursue it as a career so this critique directly affects me and being old enough to research the future of mine and my peer’s careers is a privilege that I do not take lightly. Before my research I wanted to denounce the use of AI in an art form as precious and transformative as music production. Key word being production as the final product is not only art, the techniques in which to get there are just as much art as the final song. I wanted to emphasize the erasure of human creativity but after seeing company responses as well as the trajectory of the current election I realized that money truly does make the ‘world-go-round’. The companies that fund and pay artists care little for the stories that artists have to tell and more about what profit they can make so of course investing and utilizing AI in the music industry would continue whether I thought it ethical or not.

With this realization ChatGPT did a good job at condensing my ideas and using encompassing vocabulary rather than my rambling dialogue. The particular line about the historical replacement of black music, Chat replaced it with “Black soul, jazz, and early R&B, for instance, were often sidelined from mainstream radio, only to have their styles appropriated by white artists who profited from these innovations.”. I believe this language was much more concise and properly portrayed the idea that I couldn’t put into words. All in all the writing is much more uniform than my initial first drafted idea, which was an amalgamation of various ideas that I wanted to include the more I researched.

The third prompt was my personal favorite in the sense that it was able to capture the idea so quickly. When thinking of a complex idea it usually takes me days if not weeks of thinking to reach my ‘Eureka!’ moment. However, I appreciate the tonal shift that Chat performed as they talked directly to my intended audience and structured the essay in a way that was empowering even giving a personally inspiring demand at the end saying “Now is the time to double down on what makes you irreplaceable as an artist.

Kaydin Chappel’s Final PSA

Title: AI won’t replace your voice! Your creative expression is vital in keeping the medium alive. AI is no more than a tool to be utilized by the maker!

Key Question: Did you know that AI can imitate sound, but it can’t replicate the emotion, culture, and depth that make music truly powerful?

PSA: AI is already a controversial topic in many industries and many are scared they’ll be the next subjects of structural unemployment. AI doesn’t have real experiences, emotions, or a story to tell, so it shouldn’t be treated as a substitute for human artistry. When it comes to music, especially for artists from marginalized communities, creativity is born from real struggles, identities, and histories that AI simply can’t capture. The sounds that you hear in Beyoncé’s Lemonade album and even the composition of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. are rooted in the struggles that persist in the black community, respectively marital and broader institutionalized narratives. They are telling a story and AI might create melodies, but it will never match the depth of human expression or the real, personal connections music can build.

Call-to-Action: Let’s prioritize creativity that comes from the heart and uplift artists who bring real meaning to their music. Take a moment to appreciate the real stories and emotions behind the songs you listen to. Support artists who create authentic, heartfelt music, and think critically about how AI might impact the future of creativity.

Articles for more Information

Henkin, D. (2023, Dec 5). Orchestrating The Future – AI In the Music Industry. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhenkin/2023/12/05/orchestrating-the-future-ai-in-the-music-industry/

Metz, C. et al. (2023, December 3). Ego, Fear and Money. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/technology/ai-openai-musk-page-altman.html

Reflection:

When approaching AI I thought that there was no place at all for it in creative spaces, and the art of the craft of not only music (my PSA topic), but writing itself is under threat as creativity and human error are a part of the process that classifies it as art. I have used AI in the past, I have used it to generalize a topic that I didn’t feel like researching in depth as well as in high school drafting entire essays when I didn’t have time to do so myself. So coming into this unit, I knew that AI was very recognizable as it doesn’t relay information as a human would and does so much more robotically.

However, with small edits to the language and transitions I could make it sound like me – the problem came with ideas. ChatGPT won’t come up with it’s own opinions on topics. As the user you need to give Chat very specific instructions on what you want answered and how. If I wanted a draft for an essay prompt I’d find myself typing close to an entire body paragraph to the AI to make sure it is saying what I intend it to. So for right now, we are in control of AI. The fear comes from how fast change can happen. From the 1920-2020 in only a single century we have seen 2 world wars, the birth of the internet, global communication through social media and smartphones and so much more. The centuries before that that make up a majority of human history show change at an exponentially slower rate. With the increase in the speed of change it is logical to assume that we are only decades before the rise of AI invasion into our lives and our jobs. This fear in a lot of people I asked is rooted in the depictions in media, particularly dystopian and sci-fi films. Ultimately, media has such a large impact on our lives and our perception of the world around as and provides a framework for what our future could look like.

My concern was what if AI takes over that as well? With our human rights being on the line in this election our thoughts and creative expression, as a result, might be the only things we have left. When thinking of a complex idea it usually takes me days if not weeks of thinking to reach my ‘Eureka!’ moment. I usually peddle through sources and my own thoughts to conclude an idea and when I finally do formulate it in the conventions of writing takes additional hours. AI was able to complete that task for me in seconds which was helpful but in a broader spectrum might be detrimental to the human experience. Are thoughts are the one thing we truly own, in this election our basic human rights are being threatened however our thoughts are part of our human experience that no one can take away. If the process of thinking is minimized to searches that take mere seconds, education itself is threatened. People are already demonstrating an over reliance on short form content platforms like TikTok which are slowly but surely diminishing the attention spans of our generation so the speed of ChatGPT I believe will further curb pursuit of reading and articles and other slower educational media sources. While this is an essay on the comparison of ChatGPT’s performance I believe it is still extraordinarily important to point out as it emphasizes my point about the erasure of the creative process.

[594 Words]

References:

Henkin, D. (2023, Dec 5). Orchestrating The Future – AI In the Music Industry. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhenkin/2023/12/05/orchestrating-the-future-ai-in-the-music-industry/

Metz, C. et al. (2023, December 3). Ego, Fear and Money. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/technology/ai-openai-musk-page-altman.html

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (October 2023 version) [Large language model]. OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/

Is Photography Really Art?

September 30, 2024 / Kaydin / 0 Comments

“Across the Platform”

“Not So Yellow School Bus”

“The Golden Corner Seat”

Is Photography Really Art?

For a long time I thought all photos needed to have a meaning. Art is a creative form of communication, a language if you will, and therefore all photographs must have an innate meaning when translated in the mind? Since taking this course, I have decided that this perspective is flawed. In the 21st century, Sontag (2013) says “the age when taking photographs …[was] the toy of the clever, the wealthy, and the obsessed– seems remote indeed from the era of sleek pocket cameras that invite anyone to take pictures” (532). A painting’s composition and meaning is intentional, most documentary and commercial photos specifically try to capture your eye to promote a product or highlight a social issue. However, an art photo can just be a moment in time forever encapsulated in the confines of your photo gallery app giving you a place to reminisce. In the words of Sontag (2013) photos are “mainly a social rite, a defense against anxiety, and a tool of power” (533). I never liked taking photos because I felt like I had to find this deeper philosophical meaning and it took away from being in the moment, but in reality photography is a tool to encapsulate and eternalize moments that are meaningful to you.

In my first photograph, Not So Yellow School Bus, the aforementioned ideas are spearheaded. The only thing in the foreground is a silver bar that is bolted down to a chair, immediately next to it you can see the road with an out of focus truck and stores in the distance. Through the technique of framing, the inside of the bus is separated from the operations going on outside, the truck on the side of the road can be presumed to be unloading supplies into the stores, a normal function of daily metropolitan life. This separation is automatically intriguing because as the eye wanders into the background the bus appears to be empty, and this is where subjectivity comes into play. The empty bus is adorned with repeating yellow lines almost a geometric sequence as the yellow poles create a square framing the empty head of the bus. This reminded me of the kaleidoscopic effect Cole (2015) referenced when talking about Suzhou Creek by Cartier-Bresson (2). He begins with a quote from Cartier Bresson who states “It is the photo that takes you…often multiple potential moments to discover in many situations– and that different photographers will find different moments.” Like in Suzhou Creek, I believe the yellow poles create a kaleidoscopic effect, however a kaleidoscope usually leads to a blank point at its center. Much like this photo there is nothing at the center of the arrangement of poles, however one can focus on the patterns surrounding it and pull the theme of yellow highlighting the title, Not So Yellow School Bus. The yellow on the bus is reminiscent of the loud and rowdy morning school bus rides in middle school on the short yellow ‘cheese buses’. Although a public MTA bus is not bright and cheese colored the yellow theme is still very prominent so it highlights the contrast between the loud rowdy days of elementary and middle school to the more serious days of high school and college where a quieter empty bus would be preferred.

My next picture, The Golden Corner Seat at first glance has nothing much to interpret or analyze except the empty blue seat and bars covering it, even the ad is cropped out of framing demonstrating how it isn’t the focus of this photo. Relying solely on the photo’s punctum with the only semblance of one being a window, but from the angle the only thing we can discern from this photo was that it was morning light outside and a gloomy day. To give context, during my morning commute I must walk 15 minutes to the bus stop, wait on average 5-10 minutes for a bus, then take the bus for another 15 minutes, get the train line and ride it around 15 more minutes, then transfer to another train to ride the train for around 20-30 minutes. Altogether my commute even to just the Brooklyn Bridge is already over an hour not to mention the possible delays. With that in mind we can go to the title, The Golden Corner Seat, without a subject in my photo it leaves so many pieces to the subjectivity of the viewer which again reinforces my first point. When analyzing photos I like to have historical context that I can apply to find the intention behind the photo. I hoped for this series of photographs to speak specifically to New Yorkers who know to expect a crowded train and pray to have a seat in their morning commute. Again I related to Sontag(2013) as she believed “photographs give people an imaginary possession of a past that is unreal” (533). This moment could mean nothing to a viewer but to me it is the capture of a peaceful morning commute. There is no deeper philosophical meaning in wanting to capture a luxury seldom appreciated in the fast moving urban life. However the photo is still meaningful and for that reason deserves a place in my gallery letting me possess this moment in my past.

The last picture in my essay is Across the Platform, the title is quite literal as the point of view is literally across the platform. In the photo, there is a repeating sequence of lines that cover the entire photo, you’re looking ‘across the platform’ but through bars as yet again the background is blurred and out of focus. There is less to see to see and interpret than the last again playing on the idea that photos can just be a moment in time without a specific meaning or other purpose. The train platform again is empty highlighting the previous theme of a peaceful and quiet commute, however if you’re from New York City you know the train station is never quiet and always bustling with people especially on the elusive A train line. I waited until everyone passed for the 3 second window in which no one was walking in frame, so in a way I employed Bresson’s Decisive Moment because if I had waited a couple more seconds before or after then I wouldn’t have gotten the shot I wanted. In Cole’s(2015) words the Decisive Moment is “a precise organization of forms, which give that event its proper expression” (2). He emphasizes the ‘precise organization’, as it demonstrates intention in the composition but not so much the meaning. So feigning the quietness of the station by snapping at just the right moment allowed this to be encapsulated as a moment of peace in such a busy and fast-moving commute.

Truth be told, all of these photos were just things I snapped without thinking about them, just to fulfill the assignment I didn’t intend to learn anything about. This very essay answers its own title, photography is art. Art is a form of communication and through deciphering the language these photos were able to reveal to me the importance of intention and lack thereof. Each time I said I used little intention, the photo proved me wrong I able to analyze and pull out an idea that was unique to me and my perception of this photograph that was seemingly lacking content, this can go for any viewer as the theme of yellow in Not So Yellow School Bus can personally resonate with the viewer’s own connection to the color yellow. This contradicts my earlier idea that not all photos have meaning, even after this assignment I still believe photography is a form of creative communication that is not as direct as a book or speech and therefore lets everyone resonate with it differently and more subjectively finding their own innate meaning.

—

References

Sontag, S. (2013). On Photography. The Library of America, On Photography: Susan Sontag. (pp. 533) OpenLab – The Library of America. https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/profscanlan- english1121-fall2024-d536/files/2024/02/Student-Example-PhotoEssay-1121.pdf

Cole, T. (2015) Perfect and Unrehearsed. New York Times, Perfect and Unrehearsed: Teju Cole (pp. 2) OpenLab pdf. https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/profscanlan-english1121-fall2024–d536/files/2024/02/Teju-Cole-Perfect-and-Unrehearsed.pdf

Photo Assignment

September 23, 2024 / Kaydin / 1 Comment

“The Empty Seat”

The title is so literal and explanatory if whats going on in the image again there is nothing happening outside the window you can only pull that it is daytime and even the ad on top of the seat is out of frame so you can only focus on the empty seat. When taking photos I tend to try and force a deeper meaning within the photo and it takes away from the genuineness and candid nature of the photo. I decided that I wanted a series of photos that portrayed something as simple as my morning commute. So taking that into context no one is literally in the seat there is nothing more to the photo making a statement on the simplicity of a routine morning commute.

“The Not So Yellow School Bus”

This was yet another photo centering my commute to school a bit more to analyze. I named it not so yellow school bus because a yellow school bus had just passed and it made me realize how getting older meant leaving behind that bus and taking the MTA which was adorned with yellow poles and lines throughout the bus. Although the viewer could not have known a school bus had just passed, that’s why I believe the name of the photo can be just as important as the photo itself as it provides context in its analysis. So the color in this photo provides nostalgia and again the empty and quietness of the scene demonstrates a departure of chaotic and hectic themes that are so normalized in a commute to school.

“Across the Platform”

The train is definitely the busiest part of my morning routine, and arguably the same for most New Yorkers. I love photography’s ability to capture a moment in complete stillness and silence. So while the platform was bustling and packed, the viewer wouldn’t know that because I intentionally left them out of frame. There is little to inspect besides the obvious silver bars and train. There is an element of framing as the most look through the gaps in the car to make out the train in the background. This was definitely an art style photo because rather than gain a newfound philosophical understanding of the transit system I just wanted to relate to the viewer in feeling peace.

Kaydin Chappel “Perfect and Unrehearsed”

September 11, 2024 / Kaydin / 1 Comment

In Teju Coles’ essay “Perfect and Unrehearsed”, my favorite photo was Suzhou Creek by Henri Cartier-Bresson. I definitely considered this photo to be an art style photo. However with more historical context on Suzhou Creek one could argue that it was a documentary photo on the working culture of the area. Cartier-Bresson was originally inspired to publish his The Decisive Moment, by Martin Munkacsi’s Three Boys in Liberia because it showed him “photography could reach eternity through the moment”. This was particularly interesting to me as I interpreted the quote to highlight Cartier-Bresson’s epiphanic appreciation for photography’s ability to eternalize a moment in time. This directly translates into Suzhou Creek as it appears to be a ‘day-in-the-life’ for these men, even the compositional techniques are ‘unrehearsed’. The poles create leading lines and as Coles puts it “a kaleidoscopic coherence” with working men in the middle and an older man relaxing in the foreground. Following the lines as they cross and weave through each other we can see the clutter of the workplace materials and varying expressions of the workers. It makes me wonder what are they doing? What are the poles for? The anchor is atop the boat so are they moving or stationary? All of these questions posed from one photo, this snapshot of one tiny moment of these men’s lives can help viewers peer into what their lifetime might’ve looked like. I continue to emphasize the phrase “to me”, because as Teju Cole stated “There is no single right answer, just as there’s no photographic formula”, this is what made Cartier-Bresson’s The Decisive Moment one of the most influential photography books ever. It is because it is understood that to some Suzhou Creek isn’t ‘perfect’ and the commotion of the photo can be perceived as an overwhelming disaster, but photography as an art form is so innately subjective that it can only be analyzed with fluid and undefined terms like perfect.

Author: Kaydin

Kaydin Chappel’s PSA Project

Is Photography Really Art?

Photo Assignment

Kaydin Chappel “Perfect and Unrehearsed”

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Sharing

Free Spelling and Grammar Checker

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

Support

Accessibility

Copyright

Creative Commons

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

Support

Accessibility

Copyright

Creative Commons