Last week, Washed Out shared a music video created with text-to-video AI tool Sora. It was considered OpenAI's first officially commissioned Sora collaboration with video director Paul Trillo, a musician and filmmaker. Washed Out leader Ernest Green faced immediate backlash over the AI video, including some criticism from Youth Lagoon's Trevor Powers.
In a new interview with rolling Stone, Green responded to the criticism. “To me, it's just a whole new tool to explore,” he said. “There's definitely a huge selection of people who clearly don't like anything related to AI art.”
“I don't see any comparison of the video format to any other work, whether it's in film or animation or whatever,” Green continued. “I think Paul has managed to do something here that feels very unique. And yes, I think it's an amazing skill.
“Could there be more transparency in how these models are built? Absolutely,” video director Trello said rolling Stone. “Was someone else going to make the first Sora music video, if we didn't? It would have. I see every technology as an opportunity to do something unique with a piece of tech and new kinds of visual approaches. to open up.”
A different interview with Los Angeles Times That was done last week, noting that Trello and Greene didn't pay OpenAI to use Sora, and that they don't appear to have been paid by OpenAI to promote the technology. .
“The deal with music videos is that they've always been these things where I'm not employing a lot of people anyway,” Trello said. rolling Stone. “I'm not giving people their full day rates anyway. They've always been things that you do as a hobby… but the other reality is that these things aren't going away.
I A tweet thread From earlier this week, Greene also addressed the criticism: “I want to note the intense debate here in the comments. It's clear that video is about aesthetics, authenticity, ownership, and how AI will affect our lives. It has served as a jumping-off point for discussing far-reaching topics such as many concerns,” he continued:
My new album is not an AI-album nor does it have an AI-focused theme, but as a big fan of science and technology, I'm very excited about the creative potential of these new tools.
As I've said before, it feels like a natural extension of some of the other experimental music videos I've done in the past.
I also want to acknowledge the serious concerns that people have shared with me through comments and DMs.
I feel more educated about both sides of the debate after reading them, and I think there's an important distinction to be made between responsible and irresponsible use of tools.
It's clear that we're in the early stages of understanding this difference, and if anything, I hope the video can play a role in expanding the discussion.
Whether you're scared, excited, or undecided about these new tools, they're here to stay. We just need to collectively find the most responsible ways to use them.