Sound Connections #140: EXPERT: A Quiet Path Through the Noise of Modern Algorithms: Gigi Johnson, PhD.
12 snips
Jan 22, 2026 
Gigi Johnson, PhD., founder of Rethink Next and former UCLA faculty who studies how AI reshapes music creation and fandom. She talks about the flood of new tracks and what discovery means today. They unpack how algorithms, personalization, and AI-generated content shape what listeners find. The conversation highlights transparency, provenance, and designing serendipity in saturated digital streams.
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AI Expands Supply, Not The Revenue Pie
- AI increases content volume while platform revenue growth stays limited, shrinking per-item value.
- This drives two strategies: play the algorithm for scale or focus on intimate fan relationships.
AI Stunts And Creative Mashups
- Gigi describes a spectrum where creative content is wide open to AI influence and experimentation.
- She shares a quirky example of dancers using AI mashed-up tracks like a chicken-dance mash gaining views.
Design For Serendipity, Not The Average
- Build systems that create serendipity rather than delivering predictable averages.
- Design discovery to generate 'luck' for artists so new fans can find them outside average algorithmic answers.