Sunday March 24, Bigflo and Oli unveiled the music video for It’s going much too quickly, a track published in June 2022 in their fourth album entitled Les Autres c’est nous. To illustrate this four-minute piece which “speaks of the ever more rapid advances of humanity”, the two brothers chose to use artificial intelligence. Less than 48 hours after its release, the clip has already reached 200,000 views and ranks 6th in the music category trends on YouTube.
“We gave our words to an artificial intelligence. She made a music video for it. The software generated 49,225 images,” explain Bigflo and Oli in a text written in white on a black background in the preamble to the video. The Toulouse duo wanted to clarify that no human being “participated in the creation” of these images, whether on the graphics or on the production. Thus, the clip is a reflection of their way of rapping, very – even too – fast. The whole thing gives a rather surprising result but in line with the theme of the piece which “speaks of the ever more rapid advances of humanity and where these could take us”. “The use of AI seemed interesting to us to question the future of the artist in the midst of all this,” explains one of the two brothers on Instagram. I got 6/20 in the Philosophy baccalaureate so it’s poorly explained but you roughly understand the thing.”
In the comments of the video, some are ecstatic, finding the idea as brilliant as it is far-fetched: “AIs managed the images as much as you managed the writing of the sound”, “it’s so important today today to talk about the place of the artists and the authenticity of the creations”, “the clip is too weird but surprisingly it goes well with the sound”… But here again, as is often the case in music, artificial intelligence does not not unanimous. Many fans regret the lack of involvement and creativity of the Toulouse duo, accusing them of trivializing the use of AI in music.
“When music not made by you but with your voices gets more views than the original you will understand,” says one of the fans. And he doesn’t think he’s saying it that well. In recent months, many artists have been victims of this process. The voice of Frank Sinatra, who died in 1998, is found in a version of the hit Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio. The rapper Drake is in a duet with The Weeknd on Heart On My Sleeve, a track which went around the world thanks to Tiktok but which has never been performed by the two artists. Last August, singer Angèle also paid the price, discovering that a piece of Gazo and Heuss L’Enfoiré had been assigned to her. Immediate success for the cover of Saiyan which today has more than 10 million views on YouTube. At the time, the young Belgian was much less convinced than her audience. “I don’t know what to think about artificial intelligence,” she confided on her social networks. I think it’s crazy but at the same time I’m afraid for my job!” And there is something to tremble about.
