About that AI “Space Oddity” video…

David Bowie and Artificial Intelligence

“All art is unstable. Its meaning is not necessarily that implied by the author. There is no authoritative active voice. There are only multiple readings.” – Bowie

A video has been circulating called “David Bowie’s Space Oddity in Panavision ‘70.” It’s an advanced AI video, with what I think is an AI-manipulated (or possibly generated) version of “Space Oddity.” I considered it for “Cover of the Week,” but decided against it for a few reasons, one of which is that doing so would make some readers of this blog REALLY MAD!

I don’t swim in AI and am still somewhat dazzled by it. I think the video is, for lack of a better way of putting it—way cool. All the more if the song in the video was generated by AI. I’ve occasionally heard AI Bowie-sounding songs. If this is that, we’ve come a long way in a short period of time. I get that it’s scary, but this is so new to me that it’s, like I said, cool.

It’s cool, but is it art? Yes, it’s art. Found art is art. Dada art is art. Animation is art. CGI is art. Art can be made on computers.

I started with that Bowie quote about the meaning of art—he repeatedly said that type of thing about the meaning of his own art—because Bowie seemed to think that art was entirely (or almost entirely) in the hands of the recipient. Is the thing perceived as art? Then it’s art. If Marcel Duchamp could take a urinal, call it “Fountain” and declare it art, surely an AI video—which had its origins with a human being who set out to make art—is art.

(Though that relativistic outlook raises the question of whether the thing isn’t art if it isn’t perceived to be art).

Anyway, the question is kinda pointless. The “art” designation is a stand-in for a kind of quality seal of approval. Nobody questions whether a bad painting is a painting, but we argue over whether something is art as a stand-in for whether or not we like it.

The question becomes more muddled with something like this video—if we agree that it isn’t art, we don’t have to admit that we think it’s…cool.

My own take at this moment in time is that AI, as it relates to art, is a tool. I think we’re just beginning to see how people are using that tool in their attempts to make art. Who knows what Bowie would have done, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that he wouldn’t have liked AI counterfeit Bowie songs passed off as real Bowie songs. However, I’ll go further out on that limb and guess that he would have been experimenting with how to use the AI tool to make art himself.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know I post interviews on Saturdays. I’ve had an idea to interview ChatGBT about David Bowie but am somewhat afraid that the reaction will be so negative that I’ll lose my audience. Doubtlessly, part of the reason AI generates so much hostility is that a lot of AI is crap. Whether AI art is good art is a separate question from whether it is art at all. Much like whether an answer is right versus whether an answer is an answer.

I also think there’s a fear of getting fooled. In this respect, this moment is not really like where we were at the point the movie Terminator 2 was released in 1991. That’s the movie with the terminator made out of liquid metal—it might not have been the first movie to use CGI technology, but I’m pretty sure it was the first conspicuous use of the technology in a major film. Anyway, the point is that soon enough, CGI became a standard tool in moviemakers’ special effect kits. But moviegoers generally come to the theater with suspended disbelief anyway—even if a CGI image appears to be “real”—well, we understand that all kinds of trickery is being used to generate a scene in a movie.

But AI can be a con. AI Bowie that looks or sounds so much like Bowie that we think it is Bowie exposes the limitations of our own powers of perception. AI can generate lyrics, music, sound, and image that seem to be footage of a heretofore unknown Bowie video. This “Space Oddity” video is obviously AI. At least the visual part is. But I actually can’t tell if the music is AI, or even if the voice is AI. How much of Bowie is in there?

And does it matter? I’ve heard a recording of Bowie singing two Elvis songs. I posted it on my blog and believe it to be authentic. To me, it sounds great. Would it not sound great if it turns out that the recordings were AI-generated? What if they are recordings of a Bowie impersonator—a real person pretending to be Bowie? We are not far from being able to have our iPhones generate made-to-order Bowie songs on command. Bowie singing the complete catalogue of Lil’ Kim? Done.

And what exactly is wrong with that?

Well, let me ask ChatGBT. Hey, Chat? What is wrong with that?

“The authenticity of a recording can influence its perceived greatness; discovering that a Bowie recording is AI-generated might lessen its emotional impact for some, but the enjoyment of the music could remain for others. If performed by a Bowie impersonator, the human creativity involved might still be appreciated, despite lacking authenticity. AI-generated songs offer intriguing possibilities, like Bowie singing Lil’ Kim’s catalogue, yet raise questions about originality, consent, and artistic value. Ultimately, whether such music is ‘wrong’ depends on individual and societal views on authenticity, creativity, and technology’s role in art. Embracing these possibilities can enrich our musical experiences, provided we respect the original artists.”

Actually, that was Chat’s second answer. The first was too long.

So, that is an answer. But is it right?

I don’t know. But I think, if we looked for an answer through the lens of the Bowie quote that I began with, we’d have to discount the intent of the artist. If the artist had no intent at all, because it is AI, the meaning of the art is still left to the interpreter. All that navel-gazing about what is art? That turns out to be the central question after all. The answer is—it’s up to us. And we just haven’t decided yet.

Meanwhile, I still think “David Bowie’s Space Oddity in Panavision ‘70” is cool.

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The Divine Symmetry series usually compares Bowie songs to other songs with some sort of similarity, intentional or otherwise. I thought this was closer to that than a cover. Anyway, the term is borrowed from Bowie’s song, “Quicksand.”