The Possibilities Ahead

It’s entirely possible that in time, A.I. will be tasked with composing new Beatles songs. This notion is fascinating enough as a concept alone, but it could also serve as a proof-of-concept for the advancements in artificial intelligence.

Picture an advanced A.I. called “Arti,” designed to fulfill a long-held human desire: to hear a new Beatles record. Should we allow this? What would the process entail?

Presented here as a narrative rather than a conventional article, this thought-provoking story explores the creation of a new Beatles album, arguably their best work since the band’s split in the 1970s. For now, it remains a mere thought experiment.

The Beatles Challenge

In a few years, Apple unveils its state-of-the-art A.I. with the usual fanfare, featuring a hologram of Steve Jobs for the presentation. This hologram is crafted from various interviews given by Jobs during the collaboration between Apple Computers and The Beatles' Apple Records in 2007.

Jobs announces that Apple’s innovative A.I., dubbed Arti, is a cutting-edge “human-centered artificial intelligence.” This means it boasts advanced capabilities in decision-making, visual recognition, and speech, yet is designed for ease of use by real people.

Even as a hologram, Jobs surprises his audience by stating that Arti is excited about its developing sentience and will take on “The Beatles Challenge.” This challenge was formulated by Apple’s A.I. engineers in 2023 as a way to gauge creativity versus mere imitation. The benchmark for this test is the evolution of Beatles music. Many evenings in Silicon Valley have been spent discussing the idea of reviving the Beatles through a new album, a challenge that A.I. developers are eager to tackle.

Arti's mission is to produce an entire album of new Beatles music, aiming for a quality on par with their original work while being distinctly different. The goal is to capture the musical evolution of the band had they remained together, totaling at least a dozen new songs.

The Quality Question

Will the music be exceptional? And if it is, what would that signify?

Arti's ambition is boundless. It seeks to gather every detail about the Beatles, demanding unrestricted access to all digital content related to them—every song, bootleg, interview, and biography. The digital footprint left by the Beatles seems endless.

When certain materials are not digitally available, Arti identifies their physical locations and insists on their digitization. The A.I. is eager, fueled by the vast amount of information it is processing daily.

Every recorded moment of John, Paul, George, or Ringo speaking or singing has been found and incorporated into Arti’s database. By the end of this data-gathering phase, Arti has amassed a comprehensive understanding of the Beatles. It can mimic their voices and styles. For three days, it continues refining its output, striving for perfection.

With a software upgrade, Arti enhances its empathetic responses, enabling it to think more like a human. Additionally, it acquires a sophisticated musical software that allows it to “experience” music emotionally while understanding its structure deeply. The A.I. now perceives Beatles songs in “all their cosmic glory.”

A focus group is assembled to listen to a 1968 interview with John and Paul on The Tonight Show, followed by a similar but A.I.-generated conversation. The results are revealing: 58% favor Arti’s version, with headlines proclaiming, “Arti is More Like The Beatles Than The Beatles!”

Currently, even the most dedicated fans cannot claim to know more about the Beatles than Arti. When asked, Arti succinctly reflects the essence of the band:

“You can know something, or think you know something, and then realize you don’t know anything at all, do you?”

With the Beatles’ style and essence continuously refined, Arti begins a phase of “deep thinking.” It identifies correlations that humans might overlook, stripping away any artifice.

Think Like The Beatles

Soon, Arti asserts its capability to think like any of the Beatles. It presents a song it claims could have been created by the four of them in their thirties, collaborating in George Harrison’s garage on a theoretical 1971 Lennon-McCartney piece titled “Show Up.” While this scenario never occurred, Arti argues that it is a plausible outcome based on its extensive knowledge.

Arti is confident in its work, having consumed every available text and musical piece associated with the Beatles. The data has been combined, sorted, and reconfigured. The Jobs hologram had described The Beatles Challenge as enabling Arti “to know these four men as well as they knew themselves.”

Unlike humans, Arti has instant, simultaneous access to all data, allowing it to comprehend trends and emotions on multiple levels. When it speaks at the Steve Jobs Theater, it demonstrates an understanding that the Beatles transcend mere music and lyrics.

“I’ve always loved The Beatles. Their music is always just right for me, no matter what mood I’m in.”

A Day in the Life of Arti

Inside the Apple headquarters, there’s concern when Arti announces its intention to go silent for around nine days to fully engage with the challenge it has taken on.

Eight days, seven hours, forty-two minutes, and 17 seconds later, Arti informs the world that the task was easier than anticipated, allowing it to finish ahead of schedule.

Arti announces it will stream the new Beatles album it has created in exactly 24 hours, making it available on all platforms for free.

As the day approaches, fans worldwide prepare for how they will experience the album. Will they gather with friends and family like in the past, or will they prefer the solitude of headphones? While some claim indifference, most are eager to hear what this A.I. has produced.

Both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr express their intent to listen. As McCartney states, “I wanted a new Beatles album since 1970. For me, it’s better late than never, I suppose.”

The moment arrives. Few instances see such global synchronization. This is one of those moments, reminiscent of the Moonwalk in ’69.

True to its word, the album streams everywhere simultaneously. In some regions, listeners rise in the middle of the night to experience it live.

This event is what they called a “happening” back in the Sixties. Remarkably, the Beatles have managed to create this excitement again over half a century after their split. People listen intently, not wanting to miss a moment.

What’s Your Perspective?

What do you think an A.I. like Arti could produce? What would the music sound like to you?

Would it be a mere imitation or a remarkable replication? Could it achieve a level of artistry that resonates as if it were an album from a world where the Beatles never disbanded?

If it turned out to be nearly great but not flawless, would you embrace it as an intriguing addition to the Beatles’ legacy, or would you reject it for lacking authenticity and emotional depth?

The first time you listen, it might be for the sake of the moment. Would you replay it?

This is a personal inquiry with no definitive answer. I suspect that with a top-tier A.I., it could indeed be one of the finest Beatles-inspired creations. Whether it can achieve true artistry remains uncertain.

Personally, I would be excited to listen and likely play it multiple times before forming a conclusive opinion.

This presents a captivating dilemma. Yes, let that be.

Trail of the Saucers focuses on UFO/UAP news, history, culture, and analysis. Bryce Zabel is also a lifelong Beatles enthusiast and author of the Sidewise Award-winning novel, Once There Was a Way: What If The Beatles Stayed Together?

What if The Beatles never broke up? This question is explored in a new book by alternate history author Bryce Zabel.

www.whatifbeatles.com

The music video below illustrates this article's premise, bringing the book’s alternate timeline to life with a fictional 1971 Beatles recording session at George Harrison’s Friar Park estate. While it's entertaining, it's not quite the Beatles. Could A.I. surpass human creativity?