My AI Bio Was (Shockingly) Good... Should I Be Impressed or Terrified?
From time to time I do what all good artists do: Google myself. Except now googling involves seeing what some of my favorite AI pals are writing about Jeff Michaels Band, and our new album LUCKIEST BY FAR. Turns out, they are crushing it.
I asked AI to summarize Jeff Michaels Band—and it described me better than I ever could.
Despite reading several in-depth books on the subject, I still don't fully grasp how LLM's operate beyond the basics of tokens and neural network predictions. I have to routinely remind myself what GPT stands for in our good friend, Mr. ChatGPT. (Generative Pre-trained Transformer, if you forgot your AI flashcards.) And I don't really comprehend how open-AI models talk to each other behind firewalls like naughty kids who are supposed to be standing silently facing the wall at recess. Yet, I feel I'm still ahead of the AI curve because I have enabled AI to help in my daily life at a rate that far surpasses where I was a year ago, and I know the next year I'll be relying AI to an even greater extent, freeing up my time for more important things, like ahem--writing non-AI music.
That, to me, is the best use of AI.
Not fully understanding AI doesn't prohibit me from using these tools, and being fascinated by the depth and precision they are now
When it comes to seeing what information is "out there", it is nothing short of amazing.
For instance, my simple query of my name resulted in this prompt: Would you like to know more about Jeff Michaels' musical background (including his previous bands like Luce and Even Elroy) or where you can stream specific tracks?
Heck yeah I would!
A nanosecond later, this biography of Jeff Michaels spits out from the AI underworld, and not a single item was incorrect:
Jeff Michaels is a self-taught, Boston-based singer-songwriter and pianist whose music blends heartland rock with storyteller indie-pop.
Early Career & Luce
He got his first major break in the California indie-pop band Luce. During his time with them, the band's hit song "Good Day" achieved widespread commercial success and was featured on the major motion picture soundtracks for 13 Going on 30 and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. With Luce, Michaels toured and opened for major national acts like Nelly Furtado and Sister Hazel.
Even Elroy Era
While living in California, Michaels formed his own indie-rock project under the name Even Elroy. The band gained notable traction in the independent circuit, performing at high-profile showcases like SXSW's Red Gorilla Fest. Their track "Another Song About Life" became a streaming hit, racking up over 3.7 million streams on Pandora.
Transition to Jeff Michaels Band
In 2008, Michaels relocated to Boston and transitioned the project into the Jeff Michaels Band. Alongside longtime guitarist and producer Chris Teffner, he developed a signature "piano rock" setup drawing frequent comparisons to Ben Folds and Billy Joel.
Beyond mainstream releases, his music has been heavily utilized in media licensing, appearing in over a dozen television series, including MTV’s The Real World and Teen Mom. He is also known for writing socially conscious material, such as his human rights anthem “Same F'ing Sun” and the tribute track “Boston Strong”.
Want the latest Reviews or Interviews with Jeff Michaels Band? AI already has them captured in a tidy sidebar:
Jeff Michaels is singer/songwriter, author, and piano player from Boston, MA who has been compared to a mix of Ben Folds and Billy Joel, yet with a brand of rock a...
Whether his music is being played during some of television's most popular reality shows or inspiring people in the aftermath of Boston's worst terrorist attack...
We sent Jeff some questions to answer to help you get to know him and his music better, here's what he had to say: 1. How would you describe your sound if talking ...
Honestly, this is a better snyopsis of my career than had I spent hours trying to come up with some specific highlights. Oh sure, I did feed some of this initial data into the LLMs by writing some of this in my bio, and the interviews I've done are now all beautifully indexed thanks to my incessant use of SEO plugins, but some of this info was seemingly pulled right out of the ether, and this is where I feel AI is just crushing it.
And naturally, I went a bit deeper...
While Boston-based singer-songwriter and pianist Jeff Michaels has not publically detailed the exact calendar date or title of the very first song he ever composed, his serious foray into songwriting and musicianship officially began during his college years.
Although he showed an intuitive interest in music as an infant—even holding a tiny straw to conduct music in his crib at age two—he has noted in interviews that he did not dive into music seriously until his university days. After teaching himself piano, guitar, and drums, he began writing songs and moved to San Francisco after graduation. There, he joined his first band and eventually formed the indie-rock group Even Elroy (which he later rebranded as the Jeff Michaels Band after relocating back to Boston in 2008).
The earliest publically documented songs in his catalog trace back to his work with Even Elroy in the early 2000s...
Blown away.
AI did get a song title here or there incorrect, and I've yet to figure out how to fix all the details, but overall, nine out of ten here on my music recognition.
But will I trust my silent digital partner to help write my music? NOT ON YOUR LIFE.
This is where the line MUST BE DRAWN.
Artists cannot rely on AI for creativity, or creativity will cease to exist. The easy way out is simply not the way. I don't care how well AI can rhyme, or how great you may think that melody is, the soul of music is simply not a digital footprint that one can develop with tokens and predictive modeling. Sure, AI can make a catchy verse, and yes, the sounds AI is currently generating can be incredible... but the next Leonard Cohen? The next Paul Simon? The next Bob Dylan?
Prove me wrong Mr. GPT, and I'll officially update my stance. Until then, keep up the good work in googling JEFF MICHAELS BAND and getting the word out about what Jeff Michaels has been up to since Even Elroy and Luce. I'll do the songwriting myself.
Want to see where AI send Jeff Michaels Band listeners to hear our music?
Luckiest By Far - Album by Jeff Michaels Band | Spotify Luckiest By Far Jeff Michaels Band 20268 songs, 33 min 18 sec Baby, I'm Coming Home Jeff Michaels Band...
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