It All Started When...

My unbridled fascination for AI began with a curious exploration of what was possible for the first time in human history. Following lock-downs that isolated us humans from each other, I started toying around with generative AI, creating slop while testing the limits, even using it to make covers for my releases. And then it all changed...

Suddenly, as the algorithms improved dramatically, questions arose about ethical use as whispers began to turn into loud voices across the span of the internet. Suddenly, accusations in the form of lawsuits hit the headlines. Some AI generative companies were admitting to scraping the internet to train their LLMs. The reality is that AI has been training itself on human art all along, essentially stealing a part of the human soul for profit. Naturally, this has ignited fears of what lengths AI startups would take to test the limits of copyright infringement. My fascination quickly eroded into sadness as I and other artists looked on, helplessly watching our hard work reduced to stolen iterations of soulless clones. Fragments of award-winning work being stitched back together and sold anew. Their consumers none the wiser, or are they? Some with whom I spoke on the matter excused it away, as if trading their souls for a quick fix to make some cash. "Everyone is doing it" would be the standard reply.

Then, in the middle of the night on Feb 4, 2026 I was awakened with visions of a dystopian future where children no longer wanted to learn a musical instrument. It was now too easy to say a few commands and touch the screen on their mobile devices to barf out their next 'hit song.' Practicing with patience to learn a new instrument, graced by the pain of trial and error, learning discipline... it all became 'too much work.' But that wasn't the end of the nightmare. The cognitive, spiritual, and emotional relief once offered by musical human practitioners was no more, leaving society with an empty hole.

A hole unable to be filled by what once were the shared emotions passed from soul to soul via the instruments, the melody, the careful lyrical storytelling, and all the pains, sorrows, and joys of the soul, performed into a recording not just to be heard but also to be felt. Society, already on the brink of collapse with so much division, was given one last push... off the cliff. 

Shaking me awake, a strong impression overcame me to create the Human Made badge for artists to add to their cover art, a statement to the world as to the origins of its creation (and it's insane that we've come to a place in history where it's even needed). I fought this idea at first. 'How am I going to be able to do this?' and 'Who will care?' and 'I don't have time for this,' and many other similar thoughts attempted to distract me from the bigger picture. And then the thought came from my future self being disappointed with my past self for not trying.

I took a deep breath and dove in. The badge design went through several versions until it presented only the necessary message, thanks to those in my life willing to give me their much-needed advice and assistance (you know who you are). It is my deepest hope that this movement will become YOUR movement and that we will be drawn together in a common bond from it. Together, let us bring awareness to the utmost importance of human-created art. We have a lot of work to do, so please bring your time and your talents to our Human Music Collective and make YOUR VOICE, OUR VOICE heard! 

If not me, who? If not now, when?

With all my love and hope, 

Michael (MIDIhead) Babbitt
Creative Director of The Human Music Collective

If you'd like to know more about me: CLICK HERE