5 Music Videos That Prove We Don't Need Generative AI in Art
It feels like only yesterday we were watching sloppy footage of Will Smith guzzling spaghetti and laughing about how disastrous it looked. Surely we were all aware that these generative videos were going to progress exponentially, however. From warped, splotchy textural nightmares to full-on AI studios, I am growing angry at the human willingness to engage in generative AI art. I assumed that this would only be utilized by people outside of the creative spaces, but I am unfortunately wrong (I’m looking at you Darren Aronofsky, what the hell are you doing?). We don’t need to stay mad, however, because good art is still being made and it is being made in droves.
My rant ends here, please enjoy some creative and inspiring music videos that have dropped in the last few weeks made by human beings:
Max Cooper - A Sense Of Getting Closer
Max Cooper has a longstanding collaborative output for his music videos as it has been a focal point of his musical career as an electronic composer. This new video is a breathtaking bath inside the world of advertising dystopia forewarned in movies such as Blade Runner. I’ve long pondered how much time is wasted on these ads selling us whatever they need to make their bottom line bigger, but the portrayal here is somehow nostalgic amongst the sense of corporate brainwashing we typically see them as. Video credits go to Conner Griffith.
Flea - Thinkin Bout You
This is technically an “official visualizer,” but the direction and storytelling within this makes it feel synonymous to a music video in more ways than visualizers usually achieve. The hand-drawn animation is a wonderful reflection, of, well, reflection. Spending a day inside your place of residence, but more specifically lost in your mind, pondering an endless depth of thought spirals and what ifs. I love seeing Flea push himself creatively and work with other great artists throughout the process. Animation, illustrations, and directing/conceptual credits go to NESPY5EURO.
Thundercat - She Knows Too Much (feat. Mac Miller)
This animated video matches the feel of the music in ways it must be seen to believe. Different sections were animated and produced by a ton of different artists, and the end result is the impossibly good vibes of two friends kicking it back just like they used to. The ending is handled delicately and in a way I won’t express here, but it is a gentle nod to the lasting impact of an adored artist no longer with us. Directing credits go to Léa Esmaili, but SO many more people worked on this! Please check the video’s description to see more.
Snail Mail - My Maker
Who would’ve thought an uplifting track such as “My Maker” would bring it to life in the music video? I love the one-take shoot, the hot air balloon sending us adrift, and the overall commitment to a visual spectacle that feels risky and nearly unfeasible. Jordan did say it took 6 canceled rides until they were able to finally ascend and stick the landing of the video, and I am damn happy we all got this remarkable end result. Directing credits go to both Elsie Richter and Lindsey Jordan.
Real Farmer - Heart Out
Who wants another one-take video? This one is a bit of a shock to the system compared to the above in the best way possible. Real Farmer are carving out such a fun, lively sound within the ever-growing modern punk space. The video features the band crammed in a local UK cafe in Margate amongst patrons jamming along or reading the newspaper. The song gets the blood pumping (and perhaps the nose bleeding,) and the mesh of audio and visuals add just the right amount of spice to round it al out. Filmed by Roger Sargent.
I wanted to write this to show that anyone can push their creative limits with strong will and intent. I often hear people who want to make things say “I don’t know how to do this.” I hope you know, the people creating the music and videos above had this same question as well. Then, they figured it out. I stand against generative AI in art and always will, but there’s nuance to where AI can actually assist us in life. Please, just keep it out of my music videos, and keep it away from music entirely, actually.
It is empirically and scientifically proven that ChatGPT makes you dumber. Doing the hard part and pushing yourself is what makes us grow and our brains strengthen. Beyond this, I’m also nostalgic for the importance of music videos even before my time, and I grew up in the tail end of MTV when they still aired some. I will always watch a good music video and wish to replace my anger with the hopefulness of these artists (and more) focused on making great work for the world to see. I’ll be sure to feature other recent music videos in the near future!
Written by Evan Lurie
