I Was at a Party When It Hit Me: Will AI Kill DJs?

I recently was at a party. The DJ was good—great energy, solid transitions, and the crowd was loving it. But then it hit me. Something so obvious, so inevitable, that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought about it before. As I watched the DJ work their magic, I realized: this could all be done by AI. The thought lingered in my mind, and I started to wonder: will AI kill DJs?

The truth is, AI has already made significant strides in the music and DJing world. For example, there are AI-powered tools like Algoriddim’s djay software, which uses machine learning to automatically beat-match tracks, suggest transitions, and even sync songs seamlessly. It’s like having a virtual assistant that can handle the technical side of DJing, leaving the creative decisions to the human—or, potentially, replacing the human entirely.

Then there’s OpenAI’s Jukebox, a neural network that can generate music in various styles, complete with lyrics and vocals. While it’s not perfect, it’s a glimpse into a future where AI could create entire sets of original tracks tailored to a specific crowd or event. Imagine walking into a club and dancing to music that was composed and mixed in real-time by an algorithm, designed to match the energy of the room.

AI is also being used to analyze crowd behavior and preferences. Companies like…