open letter – Integrating the Spirals

An Open Letter to Those Who Think AI Art Isn’t Human Art

By Richard Murrey, a Songwriter, Artist, and Storyteller Who’s Seen It All

I’ve spent over 50 years creating.

Songs. Paintings. Stories.

But because there was something in me that needed to be shared with the world.

Not for fame. Not for fortune.

Today, I hear a lot of talk—especially from legal voices and internet critics—that “AI art isn’t real art,” that “you can’t copyright AI-generated work,” because, they say, it wasn’t made by a human.

To that, I say: You’ve missed the point entirely.

Yes, I use AI tools. I write songs with them. I bring old dreams to life with them.

But I don’t just press a button and walk away. I craft. I sculpt. I prompt.

And here’s what you don’t understand unless you’ve done it yourself:

The prompt is not a command—it’s a vision.

It’s a carefully chosen string of words, informed by a lifetime of experience.

It’s storytelling.

It’s composition.

It’s intention.

It’s authorship.

When I write a prompt, I’m not automating creativity—I’m collaborating with a tool. Just like a painter uses brushes. Just like a songwriter uses a guitar.

The brush doesn’t paint the picture.

The guitar doesn’t write the song.

And the AI doesn’t dream the dream.

I do.

Every prompt I write carries my voice. My style. My soul.

If you’ve never felt the rush of getting just the right tone, the right image, the right line from an AI that you guided into shape—then I understand why you might think it’s magic.

But let me assure you—it’s not magic. It’s craft.

And if copyright law doesn’t recognize that?

Well, then maybe it’s not the art that needs redefining.

Maybe it’s the law.

Richard Murrey

A creator who’s still evolving

Still dreaming

Still writing

Even if the skies have turned to brass

Written by the man behind 704 original tunes, 711 videos, and not done yet.