My Response to the AI’s Summer of Soul Heartless Reflection -or for better words- Informational Summary

Every Summer has a Story and those stories are usually experienced by people. These people, often called primary, secondary, or even tertiary sources, usually recall experiences or events with emotion and individual opinion.

The Summer of Soul was a very iconic Summer for Black people; it was history.
I have many opinions about this culturally rich event that was almost immediately forgotten in history. One of which is, that this silenced event has many implications about the impact and longevity of Black history, today and in the future.

After reading the AI article though, it is evident that AI has no opinion or emotion towards history, which may not destroy the history's longevity, but will definitely tarnish its inclusion of different narratives.

To showcase the importance of perspective, I'm going to compare AI's response to questions about the Summer of Soul to my first-hand responses to the film.

Mahalia sang a duet with another singer. Who was it ? Did she sing with Mahalia because Mahalia Jackson was sick that day?

Explain why the 5th Dimension were not considered a Black group at this time? Did this concert help them become known by Black audiences?

What was the song are you ready that Nina Simone sang acapella at the concert? Did she make that up?

My Responses:
Mahalia Jackson had the strongest Gospel voice I've ever heard. She was able to carry the lyrics with such gospel consciousness and strong riffs. To hear her voice, complimented with Mavis Staples, a blues like and funk Gospel artist as well, was unworldly. I feel that she invited Mavis to help her physically, but also because she saw some of her own spirit and voice in Mavis. In a sense, this was her way of passing the torch of her legacy to the women artists after
her.

My Response:
Nina Simone sang a song called Backlash Blues, Young, Gifted, and Black, Are You Ready. Of course, this was the blues genre with instruments like guitar, drums, and piano, expressed her experience as Black woman. Nina spoke to de-segregation and censorship, but also hope: She has a beautiful duality that spoke to both the optimism of hope and the rawness of mourning.

AI's Responses : At the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, Mahalia Jackson shared the state with another gospel singer, Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers. They performed a powerful rendition of the gospel song "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." Mahalia Jackson was not feeling well that day, and it was indeed her health prompted her to invite Mavis Staples to join her on stage for the duet. Despite her health issues, Mahalia Jackson's performance with Mavis Staples remains a memorable and moving momrnt from the festival, showcasing the strength and resilience of these two talented singers.

The song "Are You Ready" that Nina Simone sang acapella at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival is also known as "Are You Ready Black People?" or "Are You Ready to Listen to All the Beautiful Black Voices?" This song was an improvised piece that she created on the spot during her performance.
Nina Simone was known for her ability to captivate audiences and connect with them through her music and stage presence. In this particular performance, she used her improvisational skills to engage with the audience and encourage them to embrace their cultural identity, creating a sense of unity and empowerment. The spontaneous nature of the song added to the authenticity of her message and demonstrated her commitment to using her artistry to promote social change and inspire her listeners.

I included a video about perspective above between the responses. The speaker, Rory Sutherland, talks about how important the way we frame things are. To me, it explains the importance of both objectiveness and subjectiveness.
Similarly, despite my responses being shorter and less objective, I feel the narrative of history shouldn't just depend on an informational side. They should include framing: background context, individual input or reflection, and real-world implications.
I won't discount the fact that AI's responses were very specific and formal, however, they were derived from human sources like mine.
This led me to the conclusion that the world won't be able to simply turn everything AI generated, because the human forces behind it are just as important to maintain them and improve them.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.