The Future Is Synthetic?
Midjourney: Curt Doty
Welcome to the uncanny era of encore performances—from artists who never left the stage, or better yet, never made it there in the first place.
Timbaland, ever the beat prophet, is now crafting new hits with virtual artists he engineered from scratch. Imagine that. He did.
“She is not an avatar. She is not a character. Tata is a living, learning, autonomous music artist built with AI.” - Timbaland, Stage Zero
Over at Vocal Roots, the late Bad Azz is rapping again—courtesy of Frank Nitty’s AI resurrection project, complete with family blessing and emotional receipts. When Bad Azz’s mother heard his synthetic voice, she cried.
Respeecher—yes, the same tech that gave Luke a younger voice in Disney’s galaxy—pulled off an AI magic trick that stunned the festival crowd in Sweden: a live performance by the late Avicii. Reconstructed. Reanimated. Resurrected. A kind of posthumous duet with a machine.
And let’s not forget Udio and Suno, cranking out viral AI bangers that sound suspiciously like they were ghostwritten by Spotify itself. We’re now living in an audio uncanny valley, where “original” is a setting, not a soul.
So here we are. In a moment of synthetic saturation. We have Keanu getting Ghiblified, virtual influencers booking beauty campaigns, and voice clones warbling hooks on TikTok charts. It’s dazzling. It’s disorienting. It’s deeply ironic.
Because for all this synthetic wizardry, nothing—absolutely nothing—replaces the thrill of a real, sweaty, imperfect, human performance. We still pay extra for vinyl because we like the crackle. We still cry at concerts because someone missed a note. We still love the flaws. Because flaws mean someone lived.
Let me be clear: I’m not a Luddite. I’ve interviewed the Respeecher guy. They care. They get consent. They set the bar for ethical AI. The problem isn’t the tech—it’s the taste. It’s the difference between using AI as an instrument and using it as a ventriloquist dummy.
Synthetic talent might win TikTok. But it won’t win hearts.
This isn’t a tech debate. It’s a values one. The question isn’t “Can we?” but “Should we?” And the answer, for now, is: with taste, with care, and with a healthy respect for the irreplaceable weirdness of being human.
Because as much as the future may be synthetic, the soul better stay analog. Keep it human, people.
About the Author
Curt Doty, founder of CurtDoty.co, is an award winning creative director whose legacy lies in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and User Experience Design. His work of entertainment branding includes Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, and TV Guide Channel.
He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Perplexity, HeyGen, Descript and OpusClips. He also runs his AI consultancy RealmIQ and companion podcast RealmIQ: Sessions on YouTube and Spotify.
As a new writer, he released his first novella Griffin and the Dark Secret on Amazon under his imprint MediaSlam Press and is working on the second installment Griffin: Future Past.
He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx, Davos Worldwide, PRSANM, Robert Half, and AI Impact. He has lectured at universities including Full Sail, SCAD, Art Center College of Design, CSUN and Chapman University.
He currently serves on the board of the Godfrey Reggio Foundation and is the AI Writer for Parlay Me.
