Musician Thai Nguyen has just introduced the song, MV Hoa sen Viet Nam performed by virtual singer AI/T (Ai Trinh). The product uses the image of the lotus to convey the story of homeland, the vitality of Vietnamese people and the succession between generations.
However, behind the project is a broader question about the position of musicians when AI has been able to participate in orchestration, choose styles and create a relatively complete piece of music in a short time.
According to Thai Nguyen, the easily noticeable advantage of AI is fastness, low cost and the ability to come up with many options. With just a few requirements, users can receive quite complete harmony, instruments and sound.
But that convenience also has hidden limits. After the initial excitement, users may realize that AI often creates familiar mixes, repeating formulas that have been widely used.
It's not bad, even very beautiful, very round, very perfect. But it's an old-fashioned perfection," Thai Nguyen stated his opinion.
According to the male musician, the worrying thing is not that AI creates poor products, but that creators are easily satisfied too early. If the ability to listen and evaluate is not strong enough, users can immediately choose the first option because they find it "right", instead of continuing to look for a more personal way of expressing themselves.
This is also the point that makes the difference between the tool and a capable producer. AI can propose dozens of options, but deciding which option to keep, which details to remove, and which parts to break and redo still depends on the person.
Thai Nguyen believes that previously, the ability to directly create and shape sound occupies most of the producer's work. When AI can support this task, the role of professionals will shift strongly to thinking, aesthetics, choice ability and the ability to develop an idea to the fullest.
With the same tool, one person can create a demo that sounds relatively okay, but only someone with expertise is capable of turning those ingredients into a complete product, with its own mark.
With Hoa Sen Vietnam, technology is used as a means to build AI/T characters and expand the image space. The content is still established by people, from choosing lotus flowers as symbols to the heroic spirit, pride and message towards the country.
From his own experience, Thai Nguyen believes that AI does not replace producers. Technology only changes the standards of the profession: When creating sound becomes easier, the value of musicians lies in the ability to create new things, instead of stopping at a neat but familiar product.
