TED EGE COLLEGE / 10-D
Music‘ s Evolution Throughout the Years and the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Music Production with Hayko Cepkin
Yağmur ÖZTÜRK ‣
108
Yağmur Öztürk: We are facing many changes from the past to the present due to both technological developments and cultural and generational differences. It cannot be ignored that these changes have major effects on every aspect of our lives, from our daily routines to our professional, economic, and social lives. In an era where, with the influence of artificial intelligence, many professions are gradually beginning to disappear, what is the current state of the art?
Today, we have a very special guest. He is a musician who worked really hard to become who he is today as a performer. He composes all of his songs on his own. You might know him because of his magnificent and unforgettable stage shows. Please welcome Hayko Cepkin.
Yağmur Öztürk: First of all, as someone who has been composing your own songs from the very beginning, what does the involvement of artificial intelligence in these areas mean to you, and how do you think it will affect music production in the future?
Hayko Cepkin: Technology, as it developed, once instilled a great sense of trust and peace in humanity, this is undeniable. But today, this tremendous process of advancement has turned into, or has been deliberately turned into, a kind of drug that pushes people toward taking the easy way out. Throughout the entire course of human evolution, people have defined their existence by the effort they put in and the skills they possess, and they have carried themselves to the present day through their productions.
But now we are being led on a journey where even production and skill are being devalued. Not only are all the professions we have created under threat, but artistic forms that require special ability and are developed through intense labor are also on the verge of being damaged if they have not already been. For a while, it seems inevitable that tastes, already made mediocre by algorithm-driven productions, will keep circulating within their own closed loop … until we remember how to truly produce again, how to put in effort, and how to appreciate it.
Yağmur Öztürk: While music has, for centuries, been a structure that changes, transforms, diversifies, and often evolves by building new things upon what came before, how do you think artificial intelligence will play a role in this process of change? Do you believe these technological developments will affect this transformation of music in a positive way?