My dear friends,
First of all, I would like to address the small controversy concerning my friends in animation and visual arts: I have no intention of replacing anyone. I’m simply trying to understand what’s happening and find my place as an artist and creator. I too was shocked when I realized how easy it has become to generate music that would take me weeks, if not months, to compose. That said, it’s now been a few months since I’ve embarked on the adventure of artificial intelligence to understand my place and glimpse what the future holds.
Honestly, at first, I felt like I was diving into a science fiction movie, where my career was at risk of being swallowed by robots. But after several months of testing, here’s what I think: are composers and sound artists going to disappear? No! And animators and visual artists? No, either! In fact, I respect their work even more now. However, I see a major shift in how we work: everything is moving at a crazy pace, and every profession is affected. When cinema arrived, theater didn’t disappear, and when television emerged, cinema stayed. Everyone found their place, and it will be the same this time.
Now, let’s talk about my profession. Yes, some opportunities may vanish, but others are arising. And to be honest, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to relearn everything. Sometimes I think I should have become a carpenter or plumber because a hammer is always a hammer, and no one will tell you it needs an update! But in the end, all tools evolve, and everything becomes a matter of efficiency and possibilities.
For now, I’m exploring, testing, and trying to reinvent myself instead of sinking into depression and fatalism. Rather than saying everything is doomed, I’m trying to see if and where I still have a place. After the initial excitement of being able to supposedly create anything with AI, you quickly realize that ideas run dry. And that’s when you realize how much we still need true professionals to move forward. When I venture into animation and image generation as a composer, I realize how incredible the talents of the people I’ve worked with on animated shows were. And I bet when animators try to generate music for their projects, after the initial euphoria of the first results, they’ll quickly realize that a musician, with their flair for telling a story through music, remains irreplaceable.
In short, I’m feeling a bit nervous, very excited, and completely amazed by what’s ahead of us. I can’t wait to see the worlds we’ll create together. Artists are and will remain essential, but they will need to be even more present and responsible for their own paths. It’s up to us, the artists, to make this world more beautiful and reflect who we are, together. In the end, it’s the story we tell that truly matters. It transcends the tools we use and the technologies that evolve. It’s the story that touches hearts and stands the test of time.
Creatively yours,
Paul Baraka
https://www.youtube.com/@PaulBaraka