Speed Makes Us Oblivious: A Slow and Responsible Approach to Engaging with Audio Sample Archives

Trisha Khallaghi, University of Bristol Pete Bennett, University of Bristol Atau Tanaka, University of Bristol and Goldsmiths University of London

Speed Makes Us Oblivious: A Slow and Responsible Approach to Engaging with Audio Sample Archives
Image credit: Trisha Khallaghi, University of Bristol Pete Bennett, University of Bristol Atau Tanaka, University of Bristol and Goldsmiths University of London

Abstract:

AI and the culture of speed it accelerates has significantly influenced music consumption, resulting in an economy characterised by excess, and raises important questions around consent, data provenance, and accessibility. We introduce Slow Samples, a web-based platform built on ethical principles, designed for the responsible sharing, exploration, and documentation of audio sample collections, with consent embedded from the start and accessibility beyond academic contexts as core commitments. Initial artist interviews informed the design, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding provenance, cultural appropriation, and the ethical implications of AI in music. Rooted in slow consumption, intentional friction, slow AI, and design by refusal, the platform opposes infrastructures that prioritise efficiency over context and scale over community, which is realised through extensive required metadata, timed microboundaries, provenance tracking, and constrained AI tooling. We argue that design can be a site of resistance, and that small acts of refusal in infrastructure lay the foundation for alternative practice.