Great Big Sea between people and algorithms in AI music world [Video]

The production is slick, the drums are on point, and the vocals sound great, but a titan of Newfoundland and Labrador’s music scene hears something off about “It Could Be Worse” and “Tales of The Atlantic,” two songs generated in less than a minute by a powerful algorithm.

“It’s a country singer, so that’s wrong. And the lyrics don’t really rhyme,” said Bob Hallett, a founding member of Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea. “It just sounds sort of strange.”

Hallett had just finished listening to the rollicking tunes, which were created using a generative artificial intelligence tool called Suno using prompts that could describe any Great Big Sea jam: Celtic, folk, lively, passionate.

They didn’t hit the mark, Hallett said. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the band’s hit “Ordinary Day,” he gave the songs a two.

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