Is AI going to kill Hifi?


I work in the tech as a software dev which helps in affording my crazy Hifi hobby. But with in just a year, I have stopped coding and now AI does most of the coding. There are these systems called agentic AI that automates to a point where you don't really need much human interaction at all. 

It's getting pretty crazy. For the most part, anything a human does on the computer AI can do. And let me tell you... it's not a situation where it creates new jobs in place of old ones lost. Google has products for corporations that basically takes care of any need for anything. Ya, you might need a handful of people but not much more to be honest. 

I wonder, what is this going to do to the Hifi market? If AI eliminates all these white colored jobs, how will these Hifi shops and brands make it? 

dman777

Feel free to label me a socialist or freeloader (I’m neither — though I’m a big fan of *effective* regulation), but if AI is as remotely as powerful and successful (and disruptive) as predicted, not only the concept, but the implementation of a decent Universal Basic Income is going to be damned necessary. The alternative, should unbalanced wealth distribution continue, will be societal unrest… and a damn unpleasant time for all. FWIW, this is not political; it is economic.
 

Back to HiFi, I think AI in music could be incredibly positive. Not as far as creating new music, but as a (re)mastering technology. There’s so much music from the 20th century that has less than favorable sound quality (for all sorts of reasons), but imagine if someone conscientiously creates thoughtful, accurate algorithms (itself an art) for musicians (one I always think of is Jimmy Garrison) so that both studio and live performances could be played back as close to what someone physically present would’ve heard and felt. 
 

Imagine if you were in the studio at the time of the recording of Kind of Blue or A Love Supreme and you could walk amongst the musicians. I think AI could do a convincing job of emulating that. 

They just need to be sure to teach it Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"...

Or have a good "off" switch available. 

@mylogic We are a long ways from the 1970s. Take a look at this and the capabilities of current A.I. in making derivative music based on nearly every piece of music created by humans. And it will only get better and better. 

Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t like it one bit, but in a world where record executives and producers can conjure up music without the need of some prima donna musician complaining all the way, well, more of this stuff is on the way. 

Already they say Spotify is filling out playlists with this A.I. generated stuff and not telling anyone it isn’t "real". 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKxNGFjyRv0

 

@moonwatcher 

AI is all around

Thank you for your insight. Yes l know l was generalising about the 70s and intended to say todays AI is the computer music devil in another guise. It’s creeping up behind us HAL fashion.
Are you related to Moon-Watcher from Arthur C Clarke’s original “The Sentinel” short story? If so l don’t need to emphasise the dangers of the AI future menace, and l am in total agreement with you there…… just a moment…. just a moment….. daisy daisy give me your answer true….. do