Another Reason I F*cking Hate AI

Overview

Rick Beato argues that one key reason people are buying more CDs is the growing mistrust of digital ownership. He suggests that streaming and subscription platforms—along with major tech companies—can remove, alter, or otherwise limit access to media at any time.

Physical Ownership vs. Digital Renting

Beato supports his point by contrasting:

• Physical media ownership: CDs, vinyl, cassettes, DAT tapes, floppy disks, and recordable Blu-rays/CD-Rs—along with the players needed to use them—are portrayed as something you keep and control. He claims recordable discs can last about 100 years, and that older audio/data remains recoverable.

• Digital “renting”: Services like Spotify are described as access-based rather than ownership-based. If you stop paying, you lose the ability to listen. He also cites examples such as Sony ending support for PlayStation disc use, illustrating how formats can become unsupported.

Broader Concerns: AI-Driven Manipulation of Culture and Information

Beato connects this mistrust to broader concerns about AI-driven manipulation of culture and information, including:

• Content repurposing and alteration: He criticizes AI companies for scanning and repurposing books and media, arguing they could alter content after extraction (e.g., “cut the spine” and change what the text/media becomes).

• Unreliable AI outputs: He claims AI search results and content can become unreliable—blending information from dubious sources (such as old Reddit posts)—and leading people to inaccurate “AI stuff.”

• Distortion through streaming/remastering: He compares streaming and remastering practices to further distortion, arguing that the “real” version is the original release (approved by artists, engineers, and labels). In his view, streaming can obscure or change what the audio actually is.

Conclusion

Overall, Beato concludes that people should preserve and back up media in physical or original formats to protect against:

• data loss
• platform shutdowns
• format abandonment
• AI companies “dictating reality”

Presenters / Contributors

• Rick Beato (presenter)