iStockphoto / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
San Jose Sharks mascot next to hockey puck in net
Many companies, organizations, and brands have embraced artificial intelligence, but doing so opens them up to backlash from the many people who are not thrilled with the impact the technology has had. That includes some fans of the San Jose Sharks, who’ve pulled the plug on an A.I.-generated goal song a year after it made its debut.
It’s been a few years since the artificial intelligence floodgates burst wide open, and at this point, it’s hard to imagine there’s any way we return to the status quo that existed before it took the world by storm.
The A.I. revolution has been fueled by the companies who have some extreme financial incentive to make it the Next Big Thing, and they’ve been aided by evangelists who’ve fully bought into its potential.
However, there’s also a sizable contingent of skeptics and outright haters who’ve bemoaned its arrival while highlighting its downsides, including humans losing jobs to machines, its impact on the decline of critical thinking, and the non-zero possibility of an A.I. fueled apocalypse.
There’s also been major pushback against the use of A.I. to make various forms of art, including music. That was the case with the tune one NHL team embraced as its goal song last season, but it won’t be returning for the upcoming one.
The Sharks are getting rid of an A.I.-generated goal song that angered plenty of fans
Most NHL teams have a dedicated song that gets blasted into the arena after a player nets a goal on home ice; some of the best examples include the Blackhawks and “Chelsea Dagger,” the Red Wings and Eminen’s ‘Without Me,” and the Hurricanes and Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up.”
Many franchises have switched things up over the years, including the Sharks.
The team went with the arena rock staple that was “Rock and Roll, Part 2” during its first season in 1993, which was briefly replaced by Green Day’s “Holiday” (a nod to the band’s roots in the East Bay punk scene) during the 2006-07 season before an organ version Gary Glitter’s biggest hit returned the following year.
Anyone who’s familiar with Glitter’s criminal history can understand why the franchise opted to pivot to “Get Ready for This” by 2 Unlimited in 2016, but it was phased out in favor of “Power Bite,” which was whipped up by a DJ and producer named BVRNOUT.
It was picked by fans who got to vote on songs that the Sharks commissioned to avoid paying royalty fees and running into licensing issues, and the franchise not only caught some heat for being cheap for going with a generic and largely soulless track that triggered some A.I. slop accusations.
They ended up being at least partially substantiated after some internet detectives did some digging and discovered BVRNOUT seemingly used the A.I. platform SUNO to create the tune after punching in the “lyrics” online.
The Sharks faced some backlash for declining to address that development before it came to light, but on Monday, they announced the “Power Bite” Era has come to an end after a single season in a video where defenseman Sam Dickonson shut off a speaker playing it before announcing, “New goal song coming October 1st.”
We’ll have to wait and see what route the Sharks decide to take, but it feels like they really have nowhere to go but up.