Could DJs be replaced by AI in the future?

Previously, we visited the topic of A&Rs being replaced by AI, but now it has emerged that in the future DJs may have the potential to be replaced by robot intelligence. Although this may seem far-fetched, many of the functionalities that this change would require are already readily available on the market. There are many different capabilities that AI could offer the clubbing world to create an even better experience for fans. But could DJs be entirely replaced by AI in the future, and how could the use of AI change the clubbing industry?

Tracking personal taste

One potential change that could be made possible by AI is door check-ins that track your personal taste in music and drinks. With contactless payment now the norm, using your phone to order and pay for drinks also looks set to be part of the future of events. Square Wallet detects when you enter a Square enabled store and uses the app to allow you to make a purchase without the use of cash or card. But the use of contactless technology and mobile tracking isn’t limited to the purchase of drinks. Euclid uses mobile tracking to determine customer behaviour, including the frequency of customers returning to the venue and where they tend to congregate. Swiping phones at the door also has the future potential to track the music taste of attendees, indicating which tracks will provoke the biggest reaction. By using data already collected, technology even has the potential to outdo real DJs by putting together a set that is perfectly suited to the taste of attendees.

Facial recognition

Facial recognition could also play a huge role in the future of clubbing. With facial recognition implemented in clubs, this data, connected with data around which artists attendees listen to, could combine to provide even more detail. This way, the technology could track exactly who is on the dance floor and what they would like to hear. Technology is already in place to allow people to pay using facial recognition simply by nodding to a camera to authorize a charge. This could be taken even further, and people’s music taste could be digitally associated with their face.

Club sensors

Sensors could also be put in place inside clubs to detect which songs are provoking a better crowd reaction than others. Although DJs have always been able to observe their crowd to gage the reaction, sensors offer the opportunity to measure the crowd reaction much more closely, comparing the impact of different tracks. As AI obviously wouldn’t be able to look at a crowd, the sensors would provide information that would prove vital in concocting a quality DJ set.

Auto-mixing technology

Auto-mixing has been a readily available option for a while, but still requires some major development in order to be suitable for a live performance without human interference. One of the difficulties with using auto mixing is that software needs to be able to measure crowd reaction, or else risk putting together a DJ set that doesn’t work well with the audience. A DJ can easily tell when a song isn’t a hit with the crowd, but AI would be completely unable to observe this without the help of sensor technology.

Technology is unable to replace the human ability to recognise which tracks are working and which are not. DJs are able to adapt quickly to their crowd, this is something that is difficult to teach technology to do. Not to mention, using AI to replace DJs would have a drastic and potentially negative effect on the electronic music industry, putting DJs out of work. On the other hand, hiring a DJ is expensive; clubs could save a great deal of money using technology. AI would also be much more reliable than a real human, never faltering from its core purpose. Ultimately, technology is not currently ready to replace DJs, but in the future it could certainly advance to that level. It is unclear what the future holds for AI in the clubbing industry, but even while not replacing DJs fully, there is plenty of technology out there that could improve the clubbing experience for attendees.