AI doesn't create taste. It reveals whether you have any!

AI isn't the problem.

What AI really does is amplify whatever level of taste, skill, and judgment is already there. I think that's especially true in music.

There are genuinely great songs and records being made with AI-assisted tools right now. The difference isn't the technology itself. It's who's behind it and how they're using it.

When AI-generated music falls short, it usually comes down to one of two things.

First, some people hand over the entire creative process to the AI. They don't write the songs, shape the arrangements, or make intentional creative choices. They rely on weak prompts, accept whatever comes back, and end up with generic, forgettable music.

Second, some people simply haven't learned the fundamentals of making records. AI can generate sounds, but it can't replace an understanding of arrangement, dynamics, pacing, tension and release, emotional impact, or storytelling. Those things still matter, regardless of the tools being used.

That's why I don't see this as an AI issue. I see it as a taste and craft issue.

AI can accelerate great ideas, but it can also accelerate mediocre ones.

If you have strong songwriting instincts, good taste, and a clear creative vision, AI can help you move faster and explore new possibilities. If those things are missing, all it really does is help you create average work more efficiently.

Creating a great record has never been about making beats. At its best, music production is creative direction. It's shaping the song map, the arrangement, the sonic identity, and the emotional journey of a record. It's taking an idea from its earliest form and guiding it all the way to completion.

In many ways, producing a song has more in common with directing a film than simply making music.

The tool isn't the issue. AI simply amplifies what's already there.