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September 3, 2024 • 29min
Rapid Response: Will.i.am is using AI to re-make radio
Masters of Scale
Will.i.am joins Rapid Response to discuss his new app Radio FYI, which uses AI to reimagine radio as an interactive media experience. He shares his views on AI's impact on music and media, lessons from his Harvard MBA, his partnership with Mercedes, and his approach to managing multiple creative and business pursuits.
Rapid Response: Will.i.am is using AI to re-make radio
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Key Takeaways
- Radio FYI is Will.i.am's new app that reimagines radio as an interactive, AI-powered experience he calls "the dawn of intelligent media"
- Will sees Radio FYI being installed in every car dashboard within 1-2 years as "the preferred radio experience"
- On AI and music, Will compares AI training data to how human artists like Prince and Michael Jackson were inspired by predecessors like James Brown
- Will believes this is "the worst AI will ever be" and is optimistic it will improve ethically, legally, and in terms of compensation
- For managing multiple projects, Will emphasizes building strong teams and having trusted outside advisors as "sounding boards"
- Will sees parallels between developers and rappers, both working with "large language"
- On creativity, Will records every idea, even if not ready for release, noting some songs take years before being released
Introduction
Will.i.am joins Rapid Response to discuss his new app Radio FYI, which uses AI to reimagine radio as an interactive media experience. He shares his views on AI's impact on music and media, lessons from his Harvard MBA, his partnership with Mercedes, and his approach to managing multiple creative and business pursuits.
Topics Discussed
Radio FYI: Reimagining Radio with AI (02:54)
Will explains Radio FYI as a "text to station" concept that allows users to interact with AI hosts and get information on topics in a radio format. Key points:
- Combines AI assistant capabilities with a listening experience
- Allows users to ask questions about presented information in real-time
- Uses curated news sources and human journalists to create content
- Includes music from a curated library, similar to traditional radio
Will emphasizes this as the "dawn of intelligent media" stating: "Rather than a passive, lean back experience, it's a lean in, dig in, dive deep media experience."
Vision for Radio FYI and Partnership with Mercedes (10:02)
Will shares his ambitious vision for Radio FYI's future:
- Predicts Radio FYI will be installed in every car dashboard within 1-2 years
- Describes a 3-year partnership with Mercedes to develop innovative audio experiences
- Mentions upcoming launch of "Soundrive" with Mercedes in September, allowing music to adapt to driving patterns
Will expresses his drive, stating: "Yo, bro, let me tell you something about aspirations. You can't spell ambition without a am, and you can't spell Will.i.am without a am."
Lessons from Harvard MBA (11:55)
Will discusses valuable insights from his Harvard MBA experience:
- Emphasizes learning from case studies of failures
- Highlights a case study about repurposing product architecture for multiple industries
- Stresses the importance of reimagining existing ideas rather than always seeking brand new concepts
Will reflects: "A lot of times, when it comes to innovation and creative people, they think that every idea has to be a brand new idea, rather than just reimagining their last idea."
AI and Music: Inspiration vs. Training Data (16:59)
Will discusses the legal challenges facing AI music generators like Udio, drawing parallels to human creativity:
- Compares AI training data to how artists like Prince and Michael Jackson were inspired by predecessors like James Brown
- Notes the blurry line between human inspiration and machine learning
- Believes legal disputes indicate growth and will lead to resolutions for artists
Will observes: "From human to human, we call it inspiration. Machines call it data set and training what you trained on."
Current Limitations of AI in Music (19:24)
Will discusses the current capabilities and limitations of AI in music creation:
- Notes AI struggles with complex genre fusion and nuanced styles
- Believes AI will improve, stating: "This is the worst it's ever gonna be because it just gets better from here."
- Expresses optimism about ethical, legal, and compensation improvements in AI
Managing Multiple Projects and Building Teams (21:50)
Will shares his approach to juggling multiple careers and projects:
- Emphasizes building strong teams, comparing it to assembling the Golden State Warriors
- Stresses the importance of being strategic with ideas when working with partners like Mercedes
- Recommends having trusted outside advisors as "sounding boards" to evaluate ideas
Will advises: "You have to have a different sounding board, and I have a great sounding board outside of FYI. Because if it's FYI, a lot of times, like, you could get lost on your own sauce."
Approach to Creative Ideas and Collaboration (26:43)
Will discusses his creative process and approach to ideas:
- Records every idea, even if not immediately ready for release
- Values collaboration, stating: "I can make music by myself, but that's like tickling myself. I ain't gonna laugh."
- Compares finding developers to finding rappers in the 1980s, both dealing with "large language"
Music, Math, and the Future (28:49)
Will reflects on the relationship between music, math, and technology:
- Acknowledges that "music is math" and that algorithms can compose
- Extends this to say "everything is math", including future developments like 3D-printed organs
- Briefly touches on the role of emotion and "soul" in creativity
Will muses: "Turns out, when they used to say music was math, udio, it is math. Like, God d**n it, if I only would have known that it truly is math. And algorithms could really compose. Wow, they were right. Music is math. Everything's math. D**n everything. Everything. Everything is math."
Conclusion
Will.i.am's conversation reveals a multifaceted thinker straddling the worlds of music, technology, and business. His new venture, Radio FYI, represents his vision for the future of interactive media, leveraging AI to create a more engaging radio experience. Will's optimism about AI's potential is tempered with thoughtful consideration of its ethical and legal implications, particularly in the realm of music creation.
Throughout the discussion, Will emphasizes the importance of collaboration, team-building, and seeking diverse perspectives when developing ideas. His approach to creativity - recording every idea and being open to long gestation periods - offers insight into his prolific career.
Will's reflections on the mathematical nature of music and, by extension, all things, highlight the deep connections he sees between art, technology, and innovation. As he continues to push boundaries in multiple industries, Will.i.am remains a unique voice at the intersection of creativity and technology, always with an eye toward future possibilities.
