Taryn Southern, an award-winning storyteller, filmmaker, and artist whose work in AI spans virtual reality (VR), music, and film, shares a world of possibilities for the future of entertainment. We caught up with her to explore her insights and predictions about AI’s role in music, film and beyond.
AI and the Creative Process
Taryn Southern has been seen and heard by millions of people since she rose to fame in 2007 as an early YouTube star who went on to garner more than 750 million views on her content. In 2018, she released her first AI-composed album, “I AM AI,” for which she collaborated with AI to compose and produce the music (Taryn wrote the lyrics and melodies.)
According to Taryn, her AI music journey began with curiosity and a willingness to experiment. “I was fascinated by the idea of collaborating with an algorithm to make music. It felt like stepping into a new world of creativity,” she says.
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In 2018, her first single from the album, “Break Free,” reached the top 100 radio charts (Mediabase), and garnered tremendous attention from the public.
When asked about how AI influences the creative process, Taryn emphasizes the partnership aspect.
“Working with AI is similar to working with a human partner. You can use AI as a brainstorm tool to generate new ideas, or you can use it expand on your existing ideas – but ultimately, you’re in the driver’s seat,” she explains.
One of Taryn’s tracks, Lovesick, was produced with the help of AIVA AI, and trained on thousands of 1800’s piano pieces. “I would never have imagined being able to collaborate with an expert in romantic period piano pieces to write a pop track. That’s the magic of AI,” she continued.
It is these types of collaborations that Taryn touts as boundary-pushing, enabling her to explore new musical landscapes that were previously unimaginable.
The Impact on the Music Industry
Taryn believes that AI will democratize music production, making it more accessible to people without formal musical training. “Similar to how the DAW gave rise to whole new music genres and stars, AI will likely result in the same,,” she points out.
The conversation naturally veers toward the ethical implications of AI in music. Taryn acknowledges the concerns about originality and copyright, but nevertheless, remains optimistic.
“Artists and labels early on were resistant to YouTube and social media remixing. Then companies came into the space to build out proper revenue streams, and the rest is history,” she says. Ensuring that artists remain seated front in the creative process is important to maintain both authenticity and fairness.
The Future of Film
Taryn regularly updates her instagram account with updates on how AI and other emerging technologies can fuel creativity, innovation and storytelling across all forms of entertainment.
When asked what she is most excited about right now, Taryn mentions Sora, OpenAI’s new text-to-video generator. “This tool will profoundly change what it means to be a filmmaker. For writer/directors with a vision, you couldn’t be living in a more exciting time,” she says. “This tool will democratize filmmaking and force creatives to get back to the foundations of storytelling – plot, character development.”
She cautions, however, that the impact of these tools is not all rosy. “A lot of people will potentially be out of work – and we have a responsibility within the entertainment community to ensure their livelihoods aren’t just gone.”
What’s Next – AI in Spatial Storytelling
I ask Taryn what she thinks the future will look like in 5-10 years. She admits it’s impossible to predict, but that she believes a whole new crop of opportunities will open up for spatial computing storytellers – in other words, creatives who want to tell stories in 3D that interact with our physical reality. With the launch of Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s upcoming Quest Pro, she believes that it’s only a matter of time for these devices to catch on.
“Not to mention, the market for streaming content just keeps getting bigger. So individual writer/directors will see a lot of opportunity to create a project from scratch – from their home office – and sell directly to Netflix or Apple.” She hopes this ultimately leads to a more diverse and vibrant film and television ecosystem, with fresh sounds and unique stories.
For those looking to explore AI in their creative endeavors, Taryn offers simple advice: “Be open-minded. Experiment. The beauty of creativity is that there’s no one right way to do things. AI will surprise you – and open doors to paths you might not have considered.”
As our conversation came to a close, Taryn’s enthusiasm for the future of AI in entertainment is palpable. With artists like Taryn leading the way, the future of entertainment brims with possibility and promise.
Follow Taryn on LinkedIn or Instagram.