Stop Calling AI a Tool It’s Not a Tool

Generative AI doesn’t extend the artist, it replaces the conditions under which art is possible

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I’ve received feedback that my 12–18-minute-long deep dives into the intersection of generative AI and art (specifically music) may be too long. So here’s my argument in under 5 minutes.

Medium has recently featured several prominent articles claiming generative AI is just another tool. Two stand out: The Tools Will Change. Your Craft Doesn’t Have To by Agustin Sanchez (currently in the coveted top-right Staff Picks column) and Stop Pretending You Write Alone: AI, Authorship, and the End of the Solo Genius Myth by 404 (featured in a recent newsletter).

I recommend reading these articles (direct links in my citation section below), but let me reprint my response to Sanchez’s piece, which succinctly summarizes my argument for why generative AI is not a tool:

I have to push back very strongly on this claim that generative AI is just another tool. It is absolutely not. This is a category error that leads to a dangerous misreading of what is actually happening.

We need to look at this through a different lens. The key distinction is between tools that extend the body and systems that are designed to replace it.