(LifeSiteNews) — Magnifica Humanitas has discouraged wanton implementation of AI and asked that it is used only in ways that are truly beneficial. However, such proposals are insufficient. AI tools are not neutral. By their very design, they remove the need for humans to think, create, and interact. They rob us of our very will to do the things that make us feel human. If you ask AI to design your living room, it offers a quick solution, but it has stolen your opportunity to think deeply about your space, make creative decisions, or work with others to help you achieve your vision.
How we use our will is at the core of our humanity, and AI tools weaken our will. This is particularly alarming for the young because they have yet to develop habits of persistence. It is also easy for adults to become lazy and dependent on AI. Making music is the antithesis of this AI-induced languor; it is an activity to which we must give sustained and intense focus. Practising singing or an instrument is like working out at the gym. The process is incremental, but, with time, your focus improves and the learning becomes deeply satisfying.
However, it isn’t merely about being able to focus: our free will is sacred. We must use it wisely and not give it over to tools that corrode our ability to think and do challenging things. Music making is a joyful and demanding activity, and its discipline carries over into all aspects of our lives.
Beyond the discipline of music practise being good for us, we make music to feel vitally human. Nothing can be feigned when you are making music. Part of what makes live performance exciting is watching how the musicians physically produce the sounds they make. A pianist’s fingers flying across the keys, a violinist’s bow bouncing over the strings at lighting speed – we marvel at the fine motor control displayed.
If our will has not been grossly diluted by AI, we incline towards such physically and mentally demanding tasks. It is thrilling to hone the movements and sensations required to produce different pitches, articulations, and phrasings when making music. Of course, we must struggle to gain these skills; it is a challenge. But AI does not simply try to ease struggle: it removes the need to gain skills entirely. Why struggle to compose a piece when AI can compose something decent in seconds?
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This question leads to another key reason why we should make music. Though extremely technical, making music is also highly creative. You get to decide on the flexibility in tempo of a piece, the gradation of intensity, the emotional meaning behind each phrase. Such decisions, along with the individual characters of musicians, mean that no two performances of a piece will ever be identical. This is a credible measure of the astonishing creative genius of man.
Some people might say that they are not creatively gifted, but that is simply false. We are all made to create! The desire to create is a God-given spark. Making music is an incredible way to keep that spark alive within us.
Creativity does not exist in a vacuum, however. It is meant to be shared and developed together. Making music in a group is collectively creative, while simultaneously creating human connections and combating the isolationism imposed by reliance on AI. In an orchestra or a choir, you need each other. You don’t even have to like each other, but you do have to share the same vision.
This goes beyond building community because playing music or singing together is an innately human act undertaken for the sake of beauty itself and the privilege of sharing that beauty with others. Thus, meaningful human connection happens in music making without lengthy conversations about values or personal histories. It is the music itself that creates layers of connection among the musicians, with the audience, with the composer, and even with the piece and the time and place of its composition.
The more connected we feel, the surer we are of our place in this world. AI, on the other hand, causes isolationism and a false sense of self-sufficiency. This tears the fabric of society by making us more arrogant and less sensitive to the needs of others.
I am under no illusions that big tech companies will stop designing AI tools or that governments will place heavy restrictions on AI in order to protect jobs and children’s education. However, each of us has it in our power to minimize the effects of AI on our personal will, creativity, and connection with others. So, dust off your old instrument, join the local choir, or plan an evening of duets with friends. Make music joyfully, but also with the serious intent to protect your humanity.
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