Recently, a friend of mine sent me an article about a previously undiscovered film archive which had been sealed off when its owner went out of business. The article described in detail how the windowless, climate-controlled environment had preserved reels of delicate nitrate film, fabrics, painted sets and equipment. Supposedly, film historians and archivists were brought in to inspect and evaluate the reels containing previously unknown silent films by pioneering directors. According to the article, what was intended as a routine factory inventory had uncovered a treasure trove of perfectly preserved early American silent film history. The piece included photos purporting to show the excavation, old cameras and various artifacts. There was only one problem: NONE OF IT WAS REAL!
A few hours after I read the email I received a call from my friend, who was horrified to discover that both the story and the photographic images were bogus and had been created by A.I. To her embarrassment, she had already sent the article to several accomplished people in the film business. At the time I didn’t think too much about it. Everything seemed authentic. It was a simple mistake that anyone might make.
Then, later that week I was scrolling through Instagram and came across an incredible singer, named Benny Rivers. As a longtime fan and afficionado of RnB and Soul Music, I was blown away. Listen for yourself:
https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/significantelsesingles/11915/benny-rivers-step-by-step-in-time-2026
So, I sent the link to my friend raving about the new discovery I had just made. A few hours later I received a text back from her revealing that “Benny Rivers” is just an algorithm. He doesn’t exist. In retrospect, I should have known. The record and production were too clean: the voice, the arrangement, the artificial singer and the imagery were all perfect. For a while I was upset. Now I was embarrassed. After all, I’m an expert in this genre. How could I be fooled? Of course, it turns out that a lot of people are fooled everyday by A.I. products. It turns out that “Benny Rivers” has topped the streaming charts and gotten millions of streams on the major music platforms. This and other musical projects (Eddie Dalton) are credited to a digital creator named Dallas Little, of whom little is known.
To say we are entering new cultural and social territory is a giant understatement. Very few of us are prepared for this stunning alternative reality. The old legal term “caveat emptor” (buyer beware) is not adequate to deal with what’s coming and all of us should be prepared to have our minds blown at any moment. Soon, advances in robotics and AI will allow “live” shows by artificial beings. It’s time to get ready for the rocking replicants! Believe me, they’re coming!