Are AI-generated songs a ‘grotesque mockery’ of humanity or simply an opportunity to make a new kind of music? | Jeff Sparrow

Earlier this week, a fan called Mark sent, for reasons not entirely clear, Nick Cave some lyrics written “in the style of Nick Cave” by the ChatGPT AI system.

Suffice to say Cave was not pleased by the algorithmic imitation.

“With all the love and respect in the world, this song is bullshit, a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human, and, well, I don’t much like it.”

Fair enough: Why would he?

But Cave’s