AI Wins Pink Floyd Video Competition

Ten creatives have won Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon video animation competition, coinciding with the album’s 50th anniversary, but some fans aren’t happy after one winner used AI in their winning video.

Over 900 films were submitted for the competition. The winners, announced on 30 March, are Lucy Davidson (for Speak To Me), Joel Orloff (Breathe), Steven Lapcevic (On The Run), David Horne (Time), Bruno Mazilli (The Great Gig In The Sky), Kate Isobel Scott (Money), Joaquin Sanchez (Us And Them), Damián Gaume (Any Colour You Like), Rati Dabrundashvili (Brain Damage), and Monica Fibbi (Eclipse).

According to the judges, one of whom included Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, three of the winners deserved cash prizes. They were Rati Dabrundashvili (taking home £100,000), David Horne (in second place, winning £50,000), and Monica Fibbi (winning £25,000).

While the winners were announced over a week ago, the controversy started on Saturday (6 April) when Pink Floyd shared Melbourne’s own Damián Gaume’s video for Any Colour You Like, which utilised AI technology.

The video received backlash on YouTube and social media, with one fan commenting, “AI nonsense. Disappointed. Given the band’s history or working with artists and animators, doubly disappointing”. Another follower added, “AI should be banned from art and I’m disappointed that they are supporting it”.

Responding to the full video, a fan wrote, “Any Colour You Like was the track that made me want to play an instrument as a kid. Seeing it covered in AI mush is just nauseating to be honest.” Responding to Gaume’s behind-the-scenes making of the video, another fan commented, “AI art is theft”.

You can watch Gaume’s Any Colour You Like video below.

AI in music is a controversial topic, with James Blunt recently stating that he was “humiliated” and “mortified” by an AI version of his music and Nick Cave responding to an AI song based on his style from last year, which he called “bullshit” and criticised it as being a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”.

However, AI has a fan in Peter Gabriel.

“I understand and respect the fears that many artists and creative people have about losing their livelihood,” Gabriel said in an exclusive The Music cover story. Agreed, the quality of much AI-based material is today pretty poor, but the first flying machines weren’t too great either. The speed at which AI is learning is awesome, and there will be many complex and difficult questions to answer before AI settles comfortably into human society.”

He continued, “If we’re really smart, we could design AI to make both it and us wiser and hopefully more compassionate.”