Jean-Michel Jarre I Tech Meets Music

Jean-Michel Jarre I Tech Meets Music

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<b>AI is harvesting the past.</b> <b>Not the future.</b> <b>Hello and welcome to Tech Meets</b> <b>Music, an innovation talk with</b> <b>Jean-Michel Jarre.</b> <b>My name is Anna Dushime, I'm an</b> <b>author and journalist,</b> <b>and I'm really delighted to have</b> <b>this wonderful</b> <b>panel of guests today</b> <b>to discuss the topic</b> <b>that we just mentioned.</b>

<b>Let me introduce my guests, I'll</b> <b>start with Oyèmi Noize.</b> <b>She's a community advocate, artist</b> <b>and founder of Decolonoize,</b> <b>a space for alternative BIPOC</b> <b>culture in Berlin.</b> <b>Thank you so much for being here,</b> <b>we're very excited</b> <b>to hear your input.</b> <b>Thank you for having me.</b> <b>Florian Drücke is also part of our</b> <b>roundtable today.</b> <b>He's a lawyer, chairman and CEO of</b> <b>the International Federation of</b> <b>the Phonographic Industry.</b>

<b>A lengthy title,</b> <b>I hope I didn't...</b> <b>Bundesverband Musikindustrie.</b> <b>Okay, that's even better.</b> <b>Very curious to hear your thoughts</b> <b>on today's topic from</b> <b>a legal perspective.</b>

<b>And then we have Anna Rupprecht,</b> <b>who is a Berlin-based</b> <b>illustrator and artist</b> <b>with a focus on fashion equality</b> <b>and female empowerment.</b> <b>We're excited to hear your</b> <b>thoughts coming from an</b> <b>illustrator and</b> <b>artist's background,</b> <b>especially when it</b> <b>comes to cover artwork.</b> <b>Yeah, thank you. Welcome.</b> <b>And then Matthias Strobel is also</b> <b>joining our panel today.</b> <b>He is president and founder of</b> <b>MusicTech Germany,</b> <b>lecturer at NYU Tisch,</b> <b>and Germany's go-to person in</b> <b>regards to all</b> <b>things music and tech.</b> <b>That's right.</b>

<b>Thanks for having me.</b> <b>Happy to have you.</b> <b>And then last, but certainly not</b> <b>least, I don't</b> <b>have to introduce you,</b> <b>but I will introduce you.</b>

<b>That would be rude if I wouldn't.</b> <b>Jean-Michel Jarre, composer,</b> <b>performer and visionary producer.</b> <b>He is a living legend and often</b> <b>referred to as the godfather of</b> <b>electronic music.</b>

<b>Is this awkward that I'm saying</b> <b>this to you like this?</b> <b>I don't think so.</b> <b>Yeah, we're honored to have you</b> <b>here and for you to</b> <b>host us, actually.</b> <b>Very, very glad and exciting.</b> <b>Looking forward to this productive</b> <b>and funny session, I think.</b>

<b>Yeah. I want to hear from</b> <b>Jean-Michel, from</b> <b>Oyémi and from Anna first.</b> <b>Do you believe in a collaborative</b> <b>approach when it</b> <b>comes to making art, music</b> <b>and whichever way</b> <b>you express yourself?</b> <b>Jump in. You're welcome to.</b> <b>I would say absolutely, because I</b> <b>think that everything in</b> <b>life is a collaboration.</b> <b>Like having children is</b> <b>kind of a collaboration.</b> <b>So I think everything</b> <b>starts with collaboration.</b>

<b>And I think you need an input from</b> <b>your surrounding</b> <b>to find your inner voice or what</b> <b>you want to express.</b> <b>I would say yes and no.</b> <b>Yes, because as you said, very</b> <b>truly everything in</b> <b>life is collaborative.</b> <b>And of course, for an artist, the</b> <b>first collaboration, we all hope,</b> <b>is collaboration of your audience,</b> <b>of the outside world.</b>

<b>And it's a sharing process.</b> <b>Creative process is</b> <b>a sharing process.</b> <b>But I would say also no, because</b> <b>by the end of the day,</b> <b>a creation process is most of the</b> <b>time something very</b> <b>intimate and very personal</b> <b>that comes from yourself.</b>

<b>What makes the specificity of an</b> <b>artist is actually</b> <b>himself or herself.</b> <b>I mean, in modern Western modern</b> <b>music, we have 12 notes.</b> <b>We did million sounds with million</b> <b>of sounds with these 12 notes.</b>

<b>But what makes one song different</b> <b>from the other one is actually</b> <b>your own specificity.</b> <b>And that is coming from yourself.</b> <b>So it's the reason why</b> <b>I would say yes and no.</b> <b>What about you, Oyémi?</b> <b>And do you agree with what</b> <b>Jean-Michel just</b> <b>said or more, Anna?</b> <b>I would say it depends for sure.</b>

<b>I think there is--</b> <b>I'm with Anna on the fact that</b> <b>everything in life kind of is</b> <b>collaborative in a sense.</b> <b>I mean, we're not</b> <b>living under a stone.</b> <b>We're not completely isolated from</b> <b>everything anyways.</b> <b>But I also do think it needs some</b> <b>kinds of solicitors sometimes to</b> <b>just be with yourself</b> <b>and listen to your inner voice.</b>

<b>Because we have so many influences</b> <b>from the outside all the time.</b> <b>And I can get a lot of inspiration</b> <b>from the outside.</b> <b>But I definitely had times where I</b> <b>felt like I have to be by myself</b> <b>and just do this alone</b> <b>and listen to what's</b> <b>coming out of myself.</b> <b>To then collaborate, maybe bring</b> <b>that idea to other people, like to</b> <b>my band or to whoever,</b> <b>or bring it to the audience.</b>

<b>And then it's collaborative again.</b> <b>But sometimes I feel you also have</b> <b>to be by yourself to create.</b> <b>And then there comes something out</b> <b>that might not have happened if</b> <b>you would have shared</b> <b>your first initial ideas with</b> <b>everyone around you.</b> <b>So collaboration can or might also</b> <b>disrupt the process</b> <b>if it's too early.</b> <b>I think sometimes, yeah, it can.</b> <b>I would just add that to anyway,</b> <b>we're old thieves.</b>

<b>And we are--</b> <b>Old thieves?</b> <b>Yeah, old thieves because we are</b> <b>stealing and copying and being</b> <b>inspired by the outside</b> <b>world.</b> <b>In that sense, any kind of</b> <b>creative process is also a</b> <b>collaborative one in that sense.</b> <b>Without the people knowing that</b> <b>you're collaborating with them, if</b> <b>you're stealing, right?</b> <b>Yeah, because we are all--</b> <b>Stealing, right?</b> <b>We are all stealing things and</b> <b>from influences</b> <b>from the outside world.</b> <b>So in that sense, creative process</b> <b>is, in a sense, a collaborative</b> <b>process and a collaborative</b> <b>process with the outside world.</b>

<b>And I know if you</b> <b>agree with this better.</b> <b>Yeah, I do.</b> <b>This is what I meant.</b> <b>It's interesting.</b> <b>Yeah, yeah.</b>

<b>So now I'm going to tell you about</b> <b>this tweet that I</b> <b>read in regards to AI.</b> <b>And I thought it was so funny.</b> <b>I hope you agree.</b> <b>Even if you don't think it's</b> <b>funny, I just want to hear your</b> <b>thoughts about this.</b> <b>So it's a tweet that says, "I want</b> <b>AI to do the dishes and my laundry,</b> <b>not make art and</b> <b>write while I do the</b> <b>dishes and laundry."</b>

<b>What are your</b> <b>thoughts on this statement?</b> <b>What should AI do for</b> <b>us or new technology?</b> <b>How should we use it in our</b> <b>everyday life, but especially as</b> <b>artists when we are creating</b> <b>things?</b> <b>I mean, that's a</b> <b>question to an artist, right?</b> <b>I can give a long answer to that</b> <b>from my perspective, but I'm not</b> <b>an artist in these present times.</b> <b>So from an artist's perspective, I</b> <b>think it's better if you guys are.</b> <b>But do you think</b> <b>the tweet is funny?</b> <b>The tweet is definitely funny, but</b> <b>it's also so true.</b>

<b>Like the essence of the tweet is</b> <b>like basically any technology</b> <b>should either</b> <b>enhance our creativity</b> <b>or take the burden of work that we</b> <b>don't want to do</b> <b>because it stops us from being</b> <b>creative.</b> <b>And that's exactly</b> <b>what that tweet says.</b> <b>So that's the essence of any</b> <b>technology out there basically.</b> <b>But if artists here on that table</b> <b>use AI in a certain way, then it's</b> <b>probably different</b> <b>from person to person, how they</b> <b>would like to use it, how they</b> <b>already use it, and what</b> <b>they think about how it's going to</b> <b>be used in the future.</b> <b>I mean, Jean-Michel,</b> <b>you've been a pioneer.</b> <b>If I may say, I don't</b> <b>think it's that funny.</b>

<b>Oh, wow.</b> <b>I didn't write that.</b> <b>Yeah, that's right.</b> <b>That's right.</b> <b>I can't say that.</b>

<b>Why?</b> <b>Because I think it's quite a</b> <b>cliche because behind this joke,</b> <b>there will be the idea that</b> <b>yesterday was better and tomorrow</b> <b>is going to be worse.</b> <b>And I'm absolutely against this.</b> <b>It seems that it's a human DNA to</b> <b>think that the</b> <b>future is necessary dark.</b> <b>If it was so dark, the future of</b> <b>our ancestors, if I saw that, we</b> <b>won't be here on the table</b> <b>to discuss.</b>

<b>So actually, we have to be very</b> <b>careful about that.</b> <b>Every disruptive moment, any in</b> <b>civilization, in our society, I</b> <b>mean, I've always been introduced</b> <b>by the people of</b> <b>that time as a threat.</b> <b>It reminds me about the fact that</b> <b>at the beginning of the steam</b> <b>train, you had the front page</b> <b>in the UK of a newspaper saying</b> <b>that be careful because over 50</b> <b>kilometers per hour, your</b> <b>heart may explode and all these</b> <b>kind of disturbing type of things.</b> <b>Why I think it's not funny, even</b> <b>if, of course, it's a joke, is the</b> <b>fact that it would create</b> <b>this kind of ambiguity that AI,</b> <b>for instance, is</b> <b>necessarily a threat.</b> <b>Technology is neutral.</b> <b>It all depends on the</b> <b>way we are using it.</b>

<b>And for artists, it's definitely</b> <b>not, of course, you have the dark</b> <b>side of any kind of disruptive</b> <b>moments. Fire was dangerous, but I think it</b> <b>created some good improvement for</b> <b>you in the beginning.</b> <b>And electricity at the same time,</b> <b>AI at the same time, it's all</b> <b>depending on how we use</b> <b>it.</b> <b>Anna, you created a shirt.</b>

<b>Well, I saw it on your Instagram,</b> <b>I'm assuming you created it, that</b> <b>says a robot can't replace</b> <b>creativity.</b> <b>Yeah.</b> <b>Two questions.</b> <b>One, can I have one?</b> <b>Maybe, though, it's either or.</b>

<b>No, that's a great thing.</b> <b>I haven't printed the shirts yet.</b> <b>I just created a Photoshop.</b> <b>And then secondly,</b> <b>can you elaborate?</b> <b>Because we were just talking about</b> <b>threats, but also chances of AI.</b> <b>Could you maybe elaborate on what</b> <b>you meant by that?</b> <b>I just had to think about another</b> <b>example, like when there were just</b> <b>paintings and then</b> <b>photography came up.</b> <b>And all the painters, they were</b> <b>super frightened by</b> <b>this new technology.</b>

<b>So I think in general,</b> <b>everything can exist.</b> <b>And I think I made this kind of</b> <b>shirt because I had to remind</b> <b>myself that AI is still a</b> <b>tool.</b> <b>And it can't replace, like, I</b> <b>think every creative person has</b> <b>like an urge inside to</b> <b>put something else out to express</b> <b>themselves and to express their</b> <b>feelings or thoughts.</b> <b>And I think, yeah, you</b> <b>still need the human part.</b> <b>You still have to type in prompts.</b>

<b>Yeah.</b> <b>But of course, on the other hand,</b> <b>and this is why I was like, I was</b> <b>thinking a lot about</b> <b>it.</b> <b>And I also felt threatened</b> <b>because, of course, I see a big</b> <b>shift in the industry and the</b> <b>creative industry.</b>

<b>And I experienced a</b> <b>loss of jobs lately.</b> <b>And of course, I'm wondering where</b> <b>this is all going</b> <b>and where is my place?</b> <b>Is the loss of job, you think,</b> <b>linked to the rise of technology?</b> <b>Or like for a fact, do you know</b> <b>that some of the art was done by?</b> <b>There are already a lot of</b> <b>examples like magazine covers,</b> <b>editorial</b> <b>illustrations that got replaced</b> <b>by AI covers.</b> <b>I mean, there's still a creative</b> <b>person behind that who had to</b> <b>create it with like Midjourney</b> <b>or other programs.</b> <b>But I think it's much faster and</b> <b>very, it doesn't need a</b> <b>big budget and everyone is</b> <b>cutting on budgets in</b> <b>the creative industry.</b> <b>No.</b> <b>Right now, it's really hard to, I</b> <b>think it's a time of change.</b>

<b>And I think a lot of people right</b> <b>now, they are afraid of change and</b> <b>they don't know where</b> <b>their place will be.</b> <b>And I think this is what freaks</b> <b>people out at the moment.</b> <b>What is freaking</b> <b>me out at the moment.</b> <b>And I know, I'm sure, I know I'm a</b> <b>creative person and</b> <b>I will find my way.</b>

<b>And maybe I have to</b> <b>choose another tool.</b> <b>But what hurts me right now is</b> <b>that, for example, I'm in</b> <b>illustration for</b> <b>around seven years</b> <b>now.</b> <b>And I developed a certain style,</b> <b>color palette and stuff like this.</b> <b>And right now, it seems much more</b> <b>easier to copy that.</b> <b>And what threatens me is the</b> <b>question of ownership.</b> <b>Like who's owning the works that</b> <b>got created by AI.</b>

<b>I think that's a really good sort</b> <b>of like segue into</b> <b>what I wanted to add.</b> <b>Maybe just a short, short comment</b> <b>about what you said, because I</b> <b>totally agree with this</b> <b>analogy with</b> <b>photography and painting.</b> <b>So many painters were afraid of</b> <b>the fact that painting would die</b> <b>because of photography.</b> <b>The same thing with cinema.</b>

<b>When the Frères Lumière invented the</b> <b>cinema, lots of people in the</b> <b>theater, the theater said</b> <b>that these people moving on a</b> <b>white piece of sheet, I mean, a</b> <b>screen, are not real actors</b> <b>because a real actor is on a real</b> <b>stage in front of real audience.</b> <b>And the cinema and movies at an</b> <b>art form became a major art form.</b> <b>And didn't weaken theater, but</b> <b>even reinforced theater because</b> <b>through movies, lots of younger</b> <b>generations had</b> <b>access to the repertoire.</b> <b>Same with TV, same</b> <b>with the internet.</b> <b>Each time, a new technology is</b> <b>also creating a</b> <b>kind of controversy.</b>

<b>And ironically, in the most</b> <b>unexpected field, which are</b> <b>actually the artistic one,</b> <b>I think that the people in the</b> <b>movie industry or the music</b> <b>industry are probably the most</b> <b>conservative people.</b> <b>They always want to keep their</b> <b>field, their created their own</b> <b>ecosystem, and they're</b> <b>always very afraid of being</b> <b>distracted or being threatened,</b> <b>which is, in my opinion,</b> <b>exactly the reverse.</b> <b>An artist has to be disruptive.</b>

<b>It has to question</b> <b>what has been done.</b> <b>Nothing replaces nothing.</b> <b>And I totally agree with that.</b> <b>Also concerning to the tweet, I do</b> <b>think in the end, it's the</b> <b>question, will AI be able to</b> <b>abolish capitalism?</b> <b>Because if we have that, then we</b> <b>might not be thinking if AI is</b> <b>going to kill any creativity</b> <b>or it's just going to take our</b> <b>jobs or anything.</b>

<b>Because if we are just creative,</b> <b>because this is who we are as</b> <b>artists, that creativity is</b> <b>something that we want to live and</b> <b>that we want to just do,</b> <b>then I'm not threatened.</b> <b>Why am I threatened?</b> <b>I'm threatened because you're</b> <b>going to take my job.</b> <b>That's the idea.</b> <b>AI is going to take my job.</b> <b>But if I'm just going to create</b> <b>because this comes out of me as an</b> <b>artist, because this is</b> <b>what I want to do, this is the</b> <b>urge that I have always.</b> <b>I will not be threatened.</b>

<b>Maybe I can be friends with AI.</b> <b>Maybe AI is going to become a</b> <b>partner or anything.</b> <b>I will not be threatened.</b> <b>But with the example that you also</b> <b>brought, Anna, with, okay, now</b> <b>covers are made by AI,</b> <b>and they're not going to pay an</b> <b>artist to do that, for example.</b> <b>You're threatened by that because</b> <b>you are losing out on job</b> <b>opportunities that you need to be</b> <b>able to do your art because you</b> <b>have to earn money</b> <b>and all of these things.</b>

<b>I mean, I think it's</b> <b>all connected in the end.</b> <b>I'm not going to be threatened in</b> <b>my creativity because I'm always</b> <b>going to be creative because</b> <b>that's who I am.</b> <b>That's such a great point.</b> <b>Yeah, that's a</b> <b>really nice perspective.</b> <b>Anyone has read the book from</b> <b>Shaukat Ali "Noised".</b> <b>In the 70s, he describes the four</b> <b>stages of music and he starts with</b> <b>sacrifices at the beginning.</b>

<b>People were chanting, like at the</b> <b>very, very beginning, people were</b> <b>chanting and it was a</b> <b>communal-like experience.</b> <b>Then there was the time of</b> <b>representing where musicians would</b> <b>sing for churches and for kings</b> <b>and queens and all</b> <b>that kind of stuff.</b> <b>There was the time of repeating.</b> <b>That's where when the recorded</b> <b>music industry was invented.</b> <b>The first time that actually</b> <b>musicians could make money from</b> <b>the art that they created.</b> <b>This is where capitalism hit.</b>

<b>And he says the fourth stage, and he</b> <b>wrote that book in the 70s.</b> <b>He said the four stages where</b> <b>people, where we</b> <b>have music in abundance</b> <b>and we have the tools that</b> <b>everyone can be creative.</b> <b>Because then music will not be</b> <b>made for the sake of making money</b> <b>with it, but just for the</b> <b>sake of expressing</b> <b>yourself in a creative way.</b> <b>And I think with AI, we now have</b> <b>these tools and we will have so</b> <b>much garbage music out there</b> <b>in the next couple</b> <b>of months and years.</b>

<b>Because people will do stuff</b> <b>randomly and it will not be done</b> <b>with any kind of real proper</b> <b>intention.</b> <b>So there will be so much stuff out</b> <b>there and the value of music is</b> <b>going to rise because</b> <b>I think the music that is done</b> <b>with an intention and with</b> <b>emotions and with</b> <b>a purpose, that's</b> <b>going to be different</b> <b>from all the AI music.</b> <b>But the cool thing with AI is that</b> <b>everybody can make music.</b> <b>And I think this is a really good</b> <b>example of how technology can also</b> <b>give access to people.</b>

<b>It doesn't matter if you like,</b> <b>even people who have certain</b> <b>disabilities who couldn't</b> <b>make music before</b> <b>with AI, they can do it.</b> <b>Or if I am...</b> <b>Who can't sing.</b> <b>Who can't sing.</b>

<b>Yeah, yeah.</b> <b>Technology helped already.</b> <b>But I think that there's a lot of</b> <b>opportunities for AI to actually</b> <b>make the cake bigger in</b> <b>that sense, but also use it as a</b> <b>tool to express</b> <b>yourself in a creative way.</b> <b>And good music will always exist</b> <b>and people are scared with the</b> <b>synthesizers as well.</b> <b>"Oh, now there's an instrument</b> <b>that can play all the instruments.</b> <b>So, wow, we're all</b> <b>going to lose our jobs."</b>

<b>AI is basically a similar thing,</b> <b>just on a bigger scale.</b> <b>Okay.</b> <b>I want to hear your thoughts.</b> <b>Let me jump in without doing the</b> <b>whole legal framework discussion.</b>

<b>Oh, you're going to</b> <b>do that in a minute.</b> <b>We already...</b> <b>The tweet was funny.</b> <b>Thank you.</b>

<b>But still, it shows the fear which</b> <b>is related to the very</b> <b>nature of human being.</b> <b>Because it's really this idea, and</b> <b>it's not only the technology part,</b> <b>it's also the idea of,</b> <b>"Is there something coming really</b> <b>replacing me everywhere?"</b> <b>And that is something which we</b> <b>should take serious.</b> <b>And when we're talking about the</b> <b>ability of being creative or of</b> <b>making music in our case,</b> <b>I mean, this is the</b> <b>reality for quite a while.</b> <b>But if we talk about staying a</b> <b>tool or being some sort of</b> <b>appropriation machine,</b> <b>not respecting partnership, not</b> <b>respecting participation, then</b> <b>we're in trouble.</b>

<b>And to the example with the</b> <b>history of music, I mean, when the</b> <b>musicians were singing for the</b> <b>kings, I mean, there was no</b> <b>copyright maybe, but</b> <b>they were not independent.</b> <b>So copyright, "droit d'auteur", if</b> <b>we write in the translation, gave</b> <b>the artists and the</b> <b>creators the independence to have</b> <b>something which they created to</b> <b>then being on the market</b> <b>or somewhere else, because you</b> <b>don't have to sell your property,</b> <b>and also to making clear</b> <b>that it's about consent.</b> <b>And this goes far</b> <b>beyond the monetization.</b> <b>This goes to a direction where you</b> <b>say, "Okay, I don't want to have</b> <b>my image combined with</b> <b>something else.</b>

<b>I don't want to have my voice</b> <b>without even being a creator</b> <b>combined to something."</b> <b>It's go deep in the</b> <b>deep porn and other issues.</b> <b>And so that's something where it's</b> <b>about us humans saying we need</b> <b>some sort of agreement,</b> <b>some framework where we exist with</b> <b>the technologies.</b> <b>So not necessarily a legal</b> <b>framework, more like an ethical</b> <b>societal framework.</b> <b>You cannot divide legal</b> <b>environment and ethical</b> <b>environment in our world.</b> <b>It comes together</b> <b>in the best case.</b>

<b>But of course, you</b> <b>need a legal framework.</b> <b>Europe just delivered parts of it.</b> <b>And so then it</b> <b>comes to partnership.</b> <b>Are you sitting with someone, with</b> <b>the developer of AI at one table,</b> <b>to really address the issues</b> <b>to the fact that the others now</b> <b>creating music are not creating</b> <b>music themselves.</b>

<b>They're profiting from your music.</b> <b>It was the stuff you created, the</b> <b>music you created.</b> <b>And so that's the discussion I</b> <b>think we will have over</b> <b>the next couple months.</b>

<b>Okay, then let me ask differently.</b> <b>Because a few months ago, I think,</b> <b>was some hundred well-known</b> <b>artists from around the world.</b> <b>I'm not going to</b> <b>name and shame them.</b> <b>Signed and opened,</b> <b>but you can Google it,</b> <b>signed an open letter calling</b> <b>on AI developers,</b> <b>technology companies,</b> <b>platforms, and digital music</b> <b>services saying that, and I quote,</b> <b>"Some platforms and developers are</b> <b>employing AI to</b> <b>sabotage creativity and</b> <b>undermine artists, songwriters,</b> <b>musicians, and rights holders."</b> <b>What do you think are the</b> <b>responsibilities, this is a</b> <b>question for everyone,</b> <b>that developers, tech companies,</b> <b>platforms, and music services</b> <b>have, but also we, as part of</b> <b>the society that is living in</b> <b>these new technological times?</b> <b>I would say that to make a comment</b> <b>of what you're talking about with</b> <b>the Shaukat Ali book,</b> <b>I mean, the monetization of music,</b> <b>as you said, is not linked to</b> <b>capitalism or to any kind of</b> <b>political system.</b> <b>It's linked to the</b> <b>value of creation.</b>

<b>And the fact that we need</b> <b>I mean, we are all afraid,</b> <b>especially in Europe, about rules.</b> <b>But rules are what makes the</b> <b>difference between</b> <b>chaos and democracy.</b> <b>We need rules.</b> <b>If I have a driving license, then</b> <b>I can drive freely</b> <b>all over the world.</b>

<b>And not the reverse.</b> <b>If you don't have driving license,</b> <b>you don't have a minimum of rules,</b> <b>it's going to be a chaos.</b> <b>It's the same for</b> <b>intellectual property.</b> <b>We need to define both an ethic</b> <b>code for AI and also clarify this</b> <b>intellectual property issue.</b>

<b>And I think Europeans, we have a</b> <b>responsibility as Europeans.</b> <b>We set the rules for culture in a</b> <b>kind of, to preserve freedom.</b> <b>It's a reserve.</b> <b>It's exactly the reverse of what</b> <b>lots of people could</b> <b>say, that our rules</b> <b>are affecting freedom.</b> <b>It's exactly the reverse.</b>

<b>So rules</b> <b>Rules are, I mean,</b> <b>Make us free.</b> <b>The right rules.</b> <b>Exactly.</b> <b>Absolutely.</b>

<b>I mean, since the Greek city</b> <b>I mean, the rules of the city makes</b> <b>the city possible.</b> <b>So we should not</b> <b>be afraid of that.</b> <b>And at the moment, AI is like the</b> <b>industrial</b> <b>revolution was, the Wild West.</b> <b>So we have to tame the beast.</b> <b>This is the</b> <b>But do we understand the beast</b> <b>already to be able to tame it?</b> <b>If we think a little bit, AI</b> <b>process is not new</b> <b>for human beings.</b>

<b>What AI is doing is harvesting in</b> <b>the digital data</b> <b>lots of information.</b> <b>So how a creative idea is coming</b> <b>from us is coming</b> <b>from our own analog data.</b> <b>Our analog data is what?</b> <b>Is our souvenir, our culture, our</b> <b>family, our environment.</b> <b>And suddenly, we have an idea,</b> <b>which is apparently</b> <b>for us not familiar,</b> <b>but it's coming from our own data.</b> <b>And we are excited by this idea,</b> <b>and we want to explore it.</b> <b>So that's one thing.</b>

<b>And also, we should never forget</b> <b>that AI is harvesting the past.</b> <b>Oh.</b> <b>Not the future.</b> <b>Yeah.</b>

<b>And what a creative person can do</b> <b>is actually to take some</b> <b>information from the past,</b> <b>link to a new idea.</b> <b>You see the reason why?</b> <b>I'm not scared at</b> <b>all as an artist.</b> <b>For a lawyer, it's</b> <b>a different issue.</b> <b>But you know what I wonder?</b> <b>I mean, you make a good point by</b> <b>saying that AI takes</b> <b>the data from the past.</b> <b>But isn't the sheer amount of data</b> <b>the problem that we've never had</b> <b>to deal with this large of</b> <b>a databases?</b> <b>Is that even the right word?</b> <b>Fish out of water.</b>

<b>I think isn't that, you can see</b> <b>that way, but this is always with</b> <b>everything in technology.</b> <b>But isn't that, and then it's no</b> <b>matter how it's been used.</b> <b>But isn't it amazing that you can</b> <b>do things now that you as a human</b> <b>being wouldn't be able to do,</b> <b>because you can't digest the</b> <b>amount of data that's out there?</b> <b>So I don't know if there's ever</b> <b>been a moment where, I don't know,</b> <b>a techno producer with a heavy</b> <b>metal drummer and a folk singer</b> <b>and whatever were in the studio</b> <b>together and created</b> <b>something together.</b>

<b>Probably never, because they lived</b> <b>all in their bubbles</b> <b>and they do their stuff.</b> <b>Like there will be creative people</b> <b>out there who maybe use data that</b> <b>they don't own and</b> <b>experiment with</b> <b>that kind of thing.</b> <b>Chuck in techno beats and then</b> <b>they take the hardest heavy metal</b> <b>drums and then a folk singer</b> <b>voice and then out comes maybe an</b> <b>amazing new genre that we could</b> <b>never do, because</b> <b>we couldn't do that.</b> <b>So I think there comes a lot of</b> <b>opportunities with that as well,</b> <b>but obviously it has to be done</b> <b>in a legal and ethical way.</b>

<b>But when we speak about ethics, we</b> <b>have different</b> <b>cultures on this planet.</b> <b>Every culture has a different</b> <b>perspective on ethics and we can</b> <b>protect our stuff in Europe</b> <b>and we can have our own philosophy</b> <b>about ethics and stuff.</b> <b>But the rest, or not the rest of</b> <b>the world, but some</b> <b>countries don't care.</b> <b>And we live in a globalized,</b> <b>connected, digital world.</b> <b>So if we protect everything, other</b> <b>people will do it</b> <b>and they don't care.</b>

<b>So we need to find a way that is</b> <b>rather</b> <b>incentivizing than protecting,</b> <b>I see.</b> <b>The use of that data while making</b> <b>sure that the ownership stays with</b> <b>the people who have</b> <b>created that work.</b> <b>It's a super complicated matter,</b> <b>but I think allowing people to</b> <b>access all that data,</b> <b>it will happen in</b> <b>some sort of way.</b> <b>The question is only in what kind</b> <b>of way and are we</b> <b>prepared for that?</b> <b>And I think somebody needs to come</b> <b>up with an idea.</b>

<b>Or maybe a lot of people need to</b> <b>gather and come up with an idea</b> <b>and see what we can do</b> <b>in order to make the data</b> <b>available, make sure ownership is</b> <b>there, and be sure that</b> <b>everybody is incentivized to, who</b> <b>has created that before.</b> <b>Everyone.</b> <b>Yeah.</b>

<b>Just to jump on this, just to, I</b> <b>would like you to</b> <b>comment on all this.</b> <b>But I think that, you know, OK, we</b> <b>all have our own</b> <b>vision of the world.</b> <b>But when it goes to intellectual</b> <b>property, I think it's the same</b> <b>for an African artist,</b> <b>for Brazilian, for</b> <b>an American, for,</b> <b>Some Asian</b> <b>countries think different.</b> <b>No, it's not, because by the end</b> <b>of the day, I'll give you an</b> <b>example, for instance.</b> <b>For a long time, the Western world</b> <b>is actually stealing</b> <b>all graphics and rhythm</b> <b>from Africa, from Maoris, </b> <b>from New Zealand, from</b> <b>Australia, from the Aborigines.</b> <b>And they don't pay anything.</b>

<b>And they make money on the back of</b> <b>very, very strong culture.</b> <b>So the idea of copyright, the idea</b> <b>of intellectual property,</b> <b>I'm sorry, but is absolutely</b> <b>universal and should be</b> <b>approached in the same way</b> <b>for any kind of citizen in the</b> <b>world, whoever they are and</b> <b>whoever they've been born.</b> <b>I think it's the basis.</b> <b>And I think Europe has always had</b> <b>a kind of better</b> <b>consciousness on all this.</b> <b>And everything we did in Europe so</b> <b>far had always a</b> <b>domino effect everywhere.</b> <b>Yeah.</b>

<b>What do you mean by better</b> <b>consciousness on this?</b> <b>I mean, better consciousness is</b> <b>the fact that we've been the first</b> <b>one to recognize</b> <b>the existence of intellectual</b> <b>property, because it has been</b> <b>created in Europe,</b> <b>in France with</b> <b>Beaumarchais in the 18th century.</b> <b>And when I was president of CZAC,</b> <b>that you know, I just</b> <b>tell you a short anecdote.</b> <b>I was in New York</b> <b>with a congressman.</b> <b>And it was in days where</b> <b>Eric Schmidt, the head of Google,</b> <b>was having lunch every other week</b> <b>with Barack Obama to say,</b> <b>that actually copyright and</b> <b>all this and author's rights is</b> <b>very old ideas from Europe.</b>

<b>And this is bad.</b> <b>We are going to take care of the</b> <b>future of artists</b> <b>by actually basically</b> <b>generally I think what we call</b> <b>buyout, actually just buying</b> <b>culture like yogurts, basically.</b> <b>And I went to the other way</b> <b>saying, why not creating the idea</b> <b>of an eternal copyright?</b> <b>How would that look like?</b> <b>With the idea that instead of,</b> <b>let's say for instance that the</b> <b>Ninth Symphony of Beethoven</b> <b>would still generate some rights.</b>

<b>And these rights could go to a</b> <b>fund for artists.</b> <b>You see, in those</b> <b>days, it's very easy.</b> <b>And to create also a worldwide</b> <b>fund, especially also</b> <b>for art in countries</b> <b>where intellectual</b> <b>property doesn't exist.</b>

<b>We all have lots of, it wouldn't</b> <b>cost anything to anybody.</b> <b>And that is exactly the reverse of</b> <b>the buyout thing.</b> <b>Oh, who would manage the fund?</b> <b>I love the idea.</b> <b>I'm just trying to think about it.</b> <b>I mean, these days with all the</b> <b>digital tools we have,</b> <b>I can tell you that</b> <b>it's pretty easy to do.</b>

<b>It was not possible before the</b> <b>internet, before the digital</b> <b>evolution, revolution, whatever.</b> <b>And it would be quite easy to do.</b> <b>So this is just one idea.</b> <b>It was also a bit provocative to</b> <b>go the other way.</b>

<b>But I think that</b> <b>this is the reason why.</b> <b>I think that if we don't do it in</b> <b>Europe, nobody would do it.</b> <b>It's my personal opinion.</b> <b>I know you're</b> <b>itching to comment on this.</b> <b>No, I think that the cultural</b> <b>specificity in Europe</b> <b>is that we are so incredibly</b> <b>diverse with regards</b> <b>to our local cultures.</b> <b>And that we have this awareness.</b>

<b>And there is already a slight</b> <b>difference between French position</b> <b>and with regards to</b> <b>culture and German,</b> <b>because the French are taking this</b> <b>much more serious.</b> <b>But this leads us to a situation</b> <b>where we discuss culture in a</b> <b>European context,</b> <b>which is a very mature discussion,</b> <b>which is really not</b> <b>only looking at the risks,</b> <b>but also seeing the value chain,</b> <b>which partner is doing what in</b> <b>these days where we're living.</b> <b>It's so free.</b> <b>You don't even know who's</b> <b>attributing to what.</b> <b>And you asked the question, what</b> <b>should those new developers do?</b> <b>I think they should have an</b> <b>obligation to have some sort of</b> <b>record keeping and information.</b> <b>Because if you want to partner</b> <b>with someone who tells you,</b> <b>honestly, I scraped the internet,</b> <b>but I don't know</b> <b>whether something from you</b> <b>or you or you was in, then you</b> <b>cannot reach an</b> <b>agreement where at the end,</b> <b>you trust that you participate for</b> <b>the future in what</b> <b>was created before.</b>

<b>So I think this</b> <b>discussion is to be led.</b> <b>The AI created the first framework</b> <b>for that at European level.</b> <b>There will be a dialogue with a</b> <b>transatlantic</b> <b>dialogue with the Americans.</b> <b>And then we have to see that there</b> <b>is this sort of participation for</b> <b>the artists and their partners.</b>

<b>And that's for me, that is not</b> <b>also something which is</b> <b>technically feasible,</b> <b>because in those days you were</b> <b>saying a database referencing,</b> <b>it's done all the time.</b> <b>But you have to</b> <b>agree on standards.</b> <b>You have to agree on</b> <b>the depth of information.</b> <b>What should you then give to the</b> <b>partner who wants to have that?</b> <b>And this is something</b> <b>we also know for decades,</b> <b>because as a music industry, we</b> <b>embraced technology.</b>

<b>Some say we were too slow when the</b> <b>internet hit us.</b> <b>Okay, we can have this discussion,</b> <b>but I think it's over.</b> <b>And we proved that we licensed,</b> <b>that we agreed to partnerships.</b> <b>And that should be the way forward</b> <b>to see the positive side of what's</b> <b>possible for creation.</b>

<b>Because this has shifted a little</b> <b>bit in the direction of talking</b> <b>about what Europe might do</b> <b>in terms of culture and kind of</b> <b>spareheading the</b> <b>frameworks in regards to AI,</b> <b>I want to quote someone, Dr. Pyle</b> <b>Dr. Payal Aurora</b> <b>who's actually professor</b> <b>of inclusive AI cultures at</b> <b>Utrecht University,</b> <b>a very smart woman.</b> <b>And she argues that the so-called</b> <b>Western world is actually hell</b> <b>bent on seeing AI</b> <b>as this pessimistic dark force and</b> <b>talking about the threats that</b> <b>will ruin us all.</b> <b>Whereas the global South seems to</b> <b>be much more welcoming</b> <b>of the new technology.</b>

<b>And I would like to kind of put</b> <b>that back into our</b> <b>round table as a question,</b> <b>because you talked about the</b> <b>different approaches of different</b> <b>cultures to</b> <b>ownership, to copyright.</b> <b>And I would like to know how you</b> <b>guys kind of like see the</b> <b>statement that she made.</b> <b>Well, actually, she</b> <b>backed it up with research.</b> <b>It's not even a statement.</b> <b>I don't have the research data. So</b>

<b>I can't really say</b> <b>something about that statement.</b> <b>But I like the idea of having like</b> <b>a global IP copyright system that</b> <b>is then managed by whoever,</b> <b>some sort of AI technology, maybe.</b> <b>But at the end of the day, this is</b> <b>a great idea, because this is</b> <b>isn't that the idea of IP that</b> <b>you can track back who owns the</b> <b>rights? So this is</b> <b>done. We have done that.</b>

<b>So what we now need to do, we now</b> <b>need to make sure that</b> <b>the creative work needs to be</b> <b>accessible for those who want to</b> <b>use it while paying the one</b> <b>who created the creative work.</b> <b>Because if we don't make that</b> <b>available, and we</b> <b>don't give access to</b> <b>that work in a way that is legally</b> <b>secure, that the ownership is</b> <b>protected, that the rights owner</b> <b>is paid, then people will just do</b> <b>it on the internet. And they will</b> <b>get it somewhere in</b> <b>bad quality. And they will just</b> <b>like misuse all that stuff. So we</b> <b>need to use the opportunity of</b> <b>IP in order to protect the IP. But</b> <b>at the same time, the IP owner</b> <b>should also have like an</b> <b>incentive when somebody else wants</b> <b>to use his work. So that's all his</b>

<b>or her work. That's my opinion.</b> <b>And I don't know if the South is</b> <b>dealing differently with AI than</b> <b>the North of this planet.</b> <b>Well, the argument is that they're</b> <b>more sort of like welcoming of new</b> <b>tech, for example,</b> <b>I don't know, one example would be</b> <b>that in Berlin, I'm sure you've</b> <b>all made that experience maybe</b> <b>that you have to pay with cash</b> <b>everywhere, almost everywhere. And</b>

<b>in a lot of, for example,</b> <b>African countries, mobile money is</b> <b>like a thing like China, China,</b> <b>definitely for sure.</b> <b>I guess that when it comes to</b> <b>technology, if there's like an</b> <b>intention and a purpose that</b> <b>that is needed in that present</b> <b>situation, then people more likely</b> <b>use that kind of technology.</b> <b>And if there's like, I just</b> <b>learned this is like, I don't</b> <b>like, I have not</b> <b>backed that up with</b> <b>research. But I just learned that</b>

<b>if you if you're on these digital</b> <b>audio workstations, if you buy</b> <b>sample packs of African drums,</b> <b>they are not done by African</b> <b>people, they are</b> <b>done by people in a</b> <b>studio in San Francisco. So like,</b> <b>what the fuck? So people who</b> <b>actually created that culture who</b> <b>were where this whole thing comes</b> <b>from, and you don't participate in</b> <b>that process at all. So when</b> <b>it comes to that kind of tech,</b> <b>they slept on that. So they have</b>

<b>not realized that</b> <b>they could actually</b> <b>leverage on that. But when it</b> <b>comes to the need of like having</b> <b>an easy payment system, they are</b> <b>far ahead. Yeah, for sure. So I</b> <b>think it really depends on what</b> <b>kind of technology it is. </b>

<b>I totally agree. You know, there is,</b> <b>just a short comment.</b> <b>There is an ambiguity in this comment. The</b> <b>fact that it's not because</b> <b>a culture or a territory or</b> <b>continent is not equipped enough</b> <b>to be threatened by</b> <b>pre-existing system that the next</b> <b>system is good. And the problem</b> <b>is, as you said</b> <b>very truly, I mean,</b> <b>to welcome AI or any kind of new</b> <b>digital system is</b> <b>actually to welcome</b> <b>a foreign system. Okay. It's</b> <b>actually, if you take for</b> <b>instance,</b> <b>Chat GPT, as we were saying,</b> <b>I mean, Chat GPT, if you go to</b> <b>Chat GPT as a lawyer today, and</b> <b>you have to shape a deal,</b> <b>this deal is going to be done</b> <b>wherever you are in Africa, in</b> <b>France, in Germany,</b> <b>based on the American law. So step</b>

<b>by step, we are digitally</b> <b>colonized by some American pipes,</b> <b>American system. You see, there is</b> <b>no, it's so important to build</b> <b>everybody in Africa, in Europe, in</b> <b>everywhere else, some alternatives</b> <b>or brick of sovereignities</b> <b>in terms of distribution tools.</b> <b>Because too often we</b> <b>separate the production</b> <b>items and production tools with</b> <b>the distribution one. And you</b>

<b>think there should be,</b> <b>They should not be seperate. I mean,</b> <b>you know, for artists, for</b> <b>instance, it's great to have,</b> <b>we have the brains, we have the</b> <b>know how to create movies, music,</b> <b>whatever, paintings and graphics</b> <b>and all that. But then if the</b> <b>result of it is to be slaved by</b> <b>mainly by American</b> <b>system or Chinese</b> <b>system of distribution, we are</b> <b>going to fix the cost of the</b> <b>system of</b> <b>distribution or apply some</b> <b>censorship for format or</b> <b>ideological reason. Excuse me the</b> <b>word, but we are</b> <b>fucked. So we have to</b> <b>urgently to create our own</b> <b>autonomy and that's go through,</b> <b>create our own</b> <b>technological tools.</b>

<b>This is why I think it's very</b> <b>important not to be naive to say,</b> <b>"Oh, AI, these new</b> <b>tools are great."</b> <b>I mean, the ambiguity and the</b> <b>force and the strength of the US</b> <b>system is actually at the</b> <b>same time they are promoting their</b> <b>hardware. They are</b> <b>also at the same time</b> <b>also distributing their software</b> <b>and their content at the same</b> <b>time. And this is the issue</b>

<b>and we have to wake up. Well, I</b> <b>want to switch gears a little bit</b> <b>because I wanted to speak about</b> <b>album covers and it's also</b> <b>connected. Wait guides, you'll</b> <b>see how it's all connected.</b> <b>Jean-Michel, you're known for</b> <b>really intricate, beautiful</b> <b>graphic album</b> <b>covers that you create</b> <b>in close cooperation with the</b> <b>graphic designers or team. And</b>

<b>you've recently started using AI,</b> <b>but not entirely excluding the</b> <b>graphic designer, a little bit</b> <b>touching on what you were talking</b> <b>about Anna before. Can you tell us</b> <b>a little bit about the process?</b> <b>Because ideally that will be</b> <b>a great role model of how to sort</b> <b>

2024-08-30 09:05

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