#but i am unfortunately in STEM and if I see someone who hates AI art start applying “the wholeness of the human soul��� or some shit

[yourfavoritehouseplant]

>find a post of someone deriding a new technological development because 'its AI' >ask the poster whether its generative AI or literally any other type of machine learning >they don't understand | I pull out illustrated diagram explaining what is and isn't generative AI >they frown and say "It's AI" >i look up what they're complaining about >they found new Nazca Lines?????

[tayfabe75]

your thoughts on the leaked collab on Slut well the lyrics at least the vocals not leaked. See Itsthebml on TikTok and it appears that it’s not fake as Target is pulling all the tangerine versions of vinyl from stores

My preemptive apologies, as brevity is not my forte… and I have many, many thoughts about this leak!

On authenticity:

There have been enough separate instances of people posting clear photos (1, 2, 3) of the lyrics and credits for the "Slut!" collaboration, that I lean toward it being real. And, when it comes to things like this in the realm of Taylor Swift, I'm more inclined to believe that "nothing is accidental" and that a mistake this significant wouldn't make it to shelves at all (while that might be giving Taylor too much credit, I spent most of my life never giving her enough credit (new fan!) and I have since amended my ways) Indeed, it is very strange that Target pulled the vinyl from its website, perhaps lending further credence to the leak's authenticity.

Another thing to consider when it comes to authenticity is - who would fake this and why? There are a few ways I'd categorize 75 fans & Swifties. You have:

Fans of one or the other who just want new music and are open to a collab with whoever (likely don't care enough to fake it)

Fans of both who would probably like the collab but aren't super invested (likely don't care enough to fake it)

Fans of both who are sad about the implications of a pulled collab (unlikely to create something like this without specifying it was wish fulfillment)

Fans of one who hate the other artist, their fans, and anyone who supports the union (bingo!)

So, even though there are like, a hundred 'Maylors', tops, the people we annoy get great satisfaction from attempting to emotionally wound us. I know from experience lol So, since I have had the extreme displeasure of speaking with some of them, I'm not sure they have the wits about them to make a convincing argument, let alone convincing 1989 album art (graphic design, especially a recreation like that, can be a pretty tedious and complicated process - this I know from experience) but you never know! Unfortunately for all of us, hate can be quite a motivator, and if human history is any indication, the sky's the limit!

Apart from that, though, there are so few people who have any incentive to fake this two months later. Now, the alleged audio leak is another story. Since the 'anti-Maylor' crowd has now seen how upset we were and no doubt reveled in our misfortune, I could easily imagine them whipping up an AI version to bait us so they could point and laugh. I have heard the alleged leaked audio - and while it sounds like Matty's voice, something seems a bit off to me. Considering Brad Troemel has a full AI report coming in a matter of days, I am keeping my defenses up!

For what it's worth, I believe that I hear Matty's voice accompanying Taylor on the last line of "Slut!", on just the word "drunk". Someone then found or made stems for arguably clearer audio. To me, it still sounds like Matty (perhaps wishful thinking), but the user who found this audio thought it didn't sound like him. Figured I'd share both opinions and links and see what you think!

On why we didn't and might not get it:

I was shocked that, when the leak happened, most of Twitter seemed to have one of two takes: 1) "Matty ruined this for Taylor and what a no-good bad horrible man, just like we said!" and 2)" Taylor and Matty are immature children who can't speak like adults and need to grow up."

Genuinely, I couldn't and still can't quite comprehend how anyone came to those conclusions based on what happened in May, or that these were the widely accepted takes. There was a whole campaign by Taylor's fans to get her to break up with him, as well as a media storm (including social media) that did everything imaginable to demonize Matty, right down to choosing the most unflattering photos of him for every article. Speaking of AI, does anyone happen to remember the disturbing AI images depicting Matty's death with Taylor standing happily over his body? My god. Absolutely shameful behavior. And that was as late as October, you know, the same month 1989 released. All because of Matty's involvement in two relatively offensive jokes in February that were apologized for. I truly pity anyone who harbors that level of irrational hatred.

I've said that, at this point, releasing the collab would be like giving your dog a treat for peeing on your favorite Cardigan. So, while I've never wanted to listen to a single song more than that one, I am at least happy that it was (most likely) real! It means we weren't reading the signs incorrectly, and that the collaboration was for 1989, as foreshadowed by both artists (1, 2). The pair co-writing a song called "Slut!" has much wider implications about the muse of 1989 (who is often perceived to be one singular entity - judging by the linear nature of the album's liner notes and perhaps even confirmed by Taylor, herself, with a like).

Lastly, I'll say this: Taylor has several songs in her catalog that seem cyclical ('Love Story', for instance), and "Slut!" feels like one of those songs to me. We'll see!

Thank you for the question!