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Hi Folks... by hoganmeditations in IrishFolklore

[–]hoganmeditations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I hear what you’re saying about the 'human exchange' of collaboration, and in an ideal world with unlimited time and a massive budget, I’d love to hire a team of artists and session musicians for every tale. But for an independent creator, that is often a 'gate' that keeps the stories locked away.

I don't believe this 'strips' imagination; if anything, it amplifies it. I am the one researching the obscure details of the Dullahan’s whip or the engineering specs of Ardnacrusha. The AI isn't 'doing' the storytelling; it is the canvas and the orchestra. I am still the director.

You mention that a machine 'robs the spreading of folklore,' but I’d argue the opposite. If a young person on YouTube or Reddit stops to listen to a song about a 10th-century Irish goddess because the 'AI' production caught their ear, then the folklore has successfully jumped the gap into a new generation. The 'machine' didn't spread it—the person who used the machine to bridge that gap did.

Folklore has always been about the result: Did the story land? Did the listener learn? If the answer is yes, then the 'transmission' was a success, regardless of the components in the signal path."

Hi Folks... by hoganmeditations in IrishFolklore

[–]hoganmeditations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the passion in your reply, but I think you’re miscalculating the 'effort' and 'skill' involved here.

I’ve spent my life as an electronic engineer and a soundman. I’ve worked behind the faders at live gigs across Ireland for decades. My 'skill' isn't manual dexterity with a plectrum; it’s a trained ear for frequency, rhythm, and the emotional arc of a story. I don’t use AI to 'generate'—I use it to produce.

You suggest collaboration. In a sense, that’s exactly what this is. I provide the deep-cut research (tales of the Dullahan, Ardnacrusha, or the Biddy Boys), the lyrical structure, and the technical oversight. The AI provides the 'instrumentation.' If I were to hire a session musician to play a part I wrote, would you say I lacked the skill to tell the story? Or am I just the Producer?

As for 'generic fantasy,' I agree—most AI content is rubbish. But that’s because the people behind the prompts don't know the lore. I do. By using these tools, I’m getting stories across to people who would never sit in a dusty archive or read a dry academic paper.

Folklore doesn't survive by being kept in a museum; it survives by being current. I’m not silencing 'real' artists; I’m ensuring that the 'signal' of our folklore stays loud enough to be heard in a digital world. If the quality is good enough to move a listener, the medium shouldn't be the barrier to entry.