Less Than Human

Inspiration

It is the theme song to my novel Prompted Hearts & Grief Algorithm. A unique dual novel that explores how AI influences human relationships.

The song was inspired by pop/R&B sounds. The black and white aesthetic was inspired by concept art I had commissioned to promote the novel.

What it does

The video combines my human performance with AI visuals and vocals. A rare and novel approach.

How we built it

I wrote the lyrics to the song in 30 minutes. Having just completed the novel it just followed out like water.

Then I took the lyrics to Suno AI to find the right vibe. After an hour or two of generation I found the right song. But it didn't feel right. Was this not a theme song about the dangers of over reliance on AI? So I took the risk and recorded my own vocals over the original AI track. I produced and mixed everything myself.

Then I took the idea to Lana, who's been experimenting with AI video generation tools for years.

With my initial idea and her technical proficiency with AI video models like Higgsfield, Hailuo, and others, we produced the video in a month.

Challenges we ran into

Getting the right balance between the human and AI parts. I performed the song and passed the raw footage to Lana. She worked for weeks to get the right balance.

There were also gain issues with my initial cut of the track. So I had to re-mix it at one point.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The final video turned out great! We were under a tight deadline (about a month) because I wanted to use it to promote the novel. We finished in just under 3 weeks.

Not many saw the video. But those who did praised the special blend of AI images and voices, as well as my vocals (a surprise). I had never sang and tapped on a track before this one. Very proud of the project!

What we learned

Biggest lesson was that it helps to have a lot of humanity even working with AI tools. Both of us got a creative charge from working with this new technology to produce something novel. That made it more fun than just generating songs and images.

AI projects still require human risk to strike an emotional chord.

What's next for Less Than Human

Hopefully winning this contest! But besides that, I plan to continue to point readers to it to reinforce the message of the novel. It's also a powerful portfolio piece for my music and writing ability, and Lana's skill with AI video editing.

Built With

• capcut
• hailuo
• higgsfield
• suno