Bi-Weekly-ish Newsletter #50 w/ 🪙 Coinbase, 🚗💨GTA, 🤖🎵AI Music Creation, 🤖☁️AI Doom & Gloom, 🤖🌟AI Hope.
Dear reader,
Edition number 50!!
I can't believe it myself. With an average of 5 items per edition, this means I wrote about 250 short pieces on music, tech, culture, and more music.
This edition follows the same formula: some good (but questionable) crypto advertising, a trailer for arguably the greatest game franchise in the galaxy, AI, music generators, and the artist (un)known as Nobody and the Computer. Plus, potential doom and gloom surrounding AGI, balanced with a ray of hope in a post-work economy, thanks to that same AGI.
Enjoy!
1. CoinBase: Break The Cycle | Update The System
Crypto Conundrums, Digital Dilemmas, Generational Gambles
I've been obsessing with this commercial by crypto exchange Coinbase. The premise, per their YouTube description:
"The 'lazy generation.' The 'quiet quitters.' These clichés miss the point. Despite what you may have heard about millennials and Gen Z, they're the ones building new tools to achieve their own goals and update the system."
The underlying message, of course, is that Coinbase is at the financial heart of this new and improved system.
This commercial is exceptionally well done: it perfectly taps into the perception of millennials and Gen Z that they live in a system that is rigged against them and success is ultimately impossible despite any efforts from their end. It is however also extremely dangerous because it portrays these generations as victims. Combined with a proposed solution around something as volatile as crypto this is borderline cultish, especially if you consider founders of similar platforms are either in or likely going to jail.
If advertising reflects on where we are or where we might be going, this is a great example and a must-watch above all else.
2. GTA 6 Trailer!
Vice City's Vivacious Vibes and Rhythmic Revelry
When Rockstar Games releases a new title, it's more than just a game release; it's a global cultural event with significant ramifications. Rumor has it that when Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) was released in 2013, worldwide productivity significantly dropped due to people calling in sick from work and/or "working" from home.
Earlier this week, Rockstar Games released the first trailer for the follow-up to GTA 5, aptly titled GTA 6, and it looks fantastic!
Set in Vice City, a.k.a Miami, the trailer showcases immensely detailed in-game graphics. Set to Tom Petty's "Love is a Long Road," the trailer stars a female protagonist and is full of real-life references. Wether it's individuals twerking on top of a car or people walking alligators into a store, all are things that make Miami - I mean Vice City - such a great/terrible place.
Personally, I am particularly excited about the game's music usage through its various radio stations. GTA 5 had over 400 tracks spread across 18 radio stations, with each radio station catering to different genres, ranging from rock and pop to hip-hop, electronic, and more, contributing to the game's immersive and dynamic environment. My friend Robin van der Kaa's band, David Gilmour Girls, was featured on one of them, and another friend, Harrison Fox, even wrote his thesis about it.
At the time of writing, the trailer amassed approximately 120 million views in less than 48 hours. If you're one of the:
7,900,000,000 Earthlings
-
120,000,000 views
=
7,780,000,000 people that haven't seen it... go watch below!
3. Harmony in the Age of AI
The Evolving Landscape of Music Creation
I was recently asked whether I know people who have lost projects or even their jobs to AI music generators. Besides me, to a certain extent (ask me about this in person), and like I've outlined in an article a few months back, the short answer is no – at least, not yet.
The journey of music creation with AI is diverging onto two fascinating paths. On the one hand, there are text2music generators. While their novelty is akin to what we experienced with text2image generators, their current state is reminiscent of where text2image technology was a year ago – imagine the auditory version of a hand with six fingers. Nonetheless, platforms like Suno.ai are captivating. For instance, check out this piece created from the prompt: "A grunge song, male vocals, about bi-weekly-ish newsletter on music, tech, culture and more music."
[Verse]
Another Monday morning,
feelin' like a drag Gotta get through the week, don't wanna make it last
But there's one thing I wait for, keeps me goin' strong
Every other week, it's like a sweet, sweet song
I open up my inbox, and there it is, my friend
[Chorus]
The bi-weekly-ish newsletter, brings me all I need
Music, tech, culture, and more, it's my everything
From underground rockers to the latest trends
This newsletter is my escape, my little slice of zen (ooh-yeah)
Then, there are those who blend a deep understanding of music theory with software prowess. Take 'Nobody and the Computer,' an enigmatic figure I've recently connected with for a potential project. This artist (whose gender remains unknown as they prefer anonymity) utilizes a mix of software and AI generators to craft music that is not just authentic but also reveals the intricate workings of musical theory and composition processes. A prime example of their work is the remarkable 'BachGPT' project linked below.
4. An AI Arms Race
Altman's Return and Google's Ascendancy
In the wake of the mystery surrounding CEO Sam Altman's departure and return to OpenAI, curiosity continues to get the best of me. All the while Google, according to enthusiastic YouTubers, podcasters, and newsletter writers (hi!), seems to be leapfrogging OpenAI with its new multimodal AI model Gemini. It all sounds like a good old fashioned AI Arms Race, with wild theories about Sam Altman prevailing.
One theory suggests Altman strayed too far from the company's altruistic mission of safely ushering AI into humanity's service, possibly favoring personal gain. The other hints at a more sci-fi-like scenario: the company's discovery of a groundbreaking yet potentially perilous technology known as Q* (Q star) and his eagerness to deploy it despite safety concerns from lead scientist Ilya Sutskever.
For a thorough and insightful analysis, turn to Wes Roth's report on this. His commentary, published some time ago, delves into what Q Star might entail, helps to understand what AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is, and explains why this significant shift matters—and, sorry to dampen the mood, is potentially dangerous.
5. Post-Work Economy
Deciphering the Future with David Shapiro
If you've just watched the film above and are now mulling over the implications of AGI, particularly for those of us in cognitive fields (yes, that means you, me and pretty much everyone we know), you might be curious about what this all means for our work future. Well, guess what? David Shapiro's YouTube video, "Post Labor Economics: How will the Economy Work after AGI?" might just have the uplifting answers you're looking for. Don't be fooled by the Star Trek getup; Shapiro's got the scoop!
Shapiro explores the increasing capabilities of AI in cognitive labor, hinting at a world of abundant knowledge work. This AI revolution promises to shake up our job market and create and destroy sectors in a blink. It goes well beyond economics, examining AI's role in diverse fields from drug discovery to filmmaking and more.
The kicker? The automation paradox. Shapiro predicts industry price collapses and a shift toward B2B and government transactions, potentially reshaping our economic fabric and speculates on a future with lower living costs due to AI-induced hyper-abundance.
Shapiro's talk isn't doom and gloom. He proposes wealth redistribution and stronger democratic institutions to avoid a power-concentrated dystopia. This video is a must-watch and a well deserved relief if the film above got you down and for anyone curious about our AI-shaped future.
That's it for celebratory and somewhat doomy and gloomy edition number 50!
Above all…
I know how I want to live: Positive! (x4)
Positively Positive
Enjoy your weekend!
Marcel