Doesn’t the masterpiece that an artificial intelligence will make exist?

They say that when there is an avalanche, a sound is heard first. AND there is a sound when a wall collapses, and also when something breaks, for example a glass bottle. If our hearing were wired, we should hear a similar sound to the AI: like a crack forming. Something that is broken forever. The signs had been there for some time, but it is in recent days that the crack has become evident.

In a famous photo contest a few days ago, next to very real photos of war and various sufferings, won a photo of people who don’t exist (so, technically, not a photo): the image is so realistic that the jury didn’t notice and chose it, but the photographer renounced the prize. During the same hours, thousands of people around the world were listening the song of two famous artists that the two artists never composed nor sung. The music industry it hurt a lot and it is understandable: that song doesn’t exist even if we listen to it? Who do the proceeds go to? To the artists for putting their voice into it even if they didn’t actually sing it? And for lyrics and music, to an artificial intelligence? Definitely complicated.

They say that the artificial intelligence to compose that song trained with the previous songs of the two artists and shouldn’t have done it without their consent. But not that’s how creativity works? We read, watch, listen, get inspired and something comes out of it. But then De Gregori should pay royalties to Bob Dylan and Last to Antonello Venditti? And the writers? And the directors? Should Paolo Sorrentino share the proceeds of the films with Fellini’s heirs? Obviously not, but then perhaps not even an artificial intelligence should do it.

This story doesn’t start today: for some years there have been online jukeboxes where you can listen to unreleased songs that Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra have never sung and yet they sound like them. And long ago an AI has completed the last unfinished symphony by Ludwig Beethoven. The truth is that so far none of these creations were a masterpiece. But how many of the things we listen to, read and look at every day are truly masterpieces? And at this rate, how long will it take for an artificial intelligence to create one? And if that day comes, will we say that the masterpiece doesn’t exist? Do you see the crack now? Do you hear the sound?