Paul Jenner has been releasing music under the 50mething name since January, when his debut single confronted a personal cancer diagnosis head-on. That willingness to go directly at difficult subject matter is becoming a signature. “O oh it’s AI”, out now, takes aim at something considerably larger: the relentless proliferation of artificial intelligence through modern life, and specifically its darker applications – job displacement, the exploitation of vulnerable populations, and the use of AI to compromise the dignity of women and children. Everything is written and produced alone at home, with Prince somewhere in the background as a guiding influence.
Someone might look at this and say oh well, obviously the 50-something (pun intended) artist is negatively commenting on generative AI, just an old person out of touch with the times, right? But in reality, his commentary is very nuanced and raises very valid points about AI being pushed down the average person’s throat just to drive sales and efficiency to maximize profit, no matter the cost – the cost here being human dignity, as Pope Leo XIV said so eloquently in his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas”. 50mething gets at the core of the issue and doesn’t shy away from expressing it.
What makes this work as a song rather than just a statement is that 50mething understands the difference between reacting to something and actually saying something about it. The track doesn’t treat AI as a monolith – it acknowledges the technology’s legitimate uses while focusing its energy on the parts nobody in power seems particularly interested in discussing. With seventy tracks reportedly in the catalogue waiting to be released, it’s becoming clear that Paul Jenner has a lot on his mind. “O oh it’s AI” is another reason to keep listening.