The Future Favors the Bold

Community News, Entertainment — By Buddy Sampson on February 12, 2026 at 10:00 am

By Buddy Sampson

The future is here, and AI and technology is solidly in the driver’s seat, whizzing by at the speed of light. AI, whether you love it or hate it, is now a part of our every day lives. Smart devices, including refrigerators, cell phones, TV’s and common household items, have been replaced with digital technology that respond by voices and nuances that even make inexperienced music and content creators seem like virtuosos. This boon in technology even has touched the music industry. NAMM 2026 featured breathtaking innovations in not only AI, but in instrument design, and other necessities for music professionals.

“The future is now,” said Mike Walsh, in an early breakfast seminar at NAMM. “The future favors the bold.” “The Future Favors the bold,” was a mantra of the seminar given by Walsh, as he explained the new waves of technology that are rolling in, and cautioned that those that choose not to learn, and engage with new AI technology could be washed away by the new technologists that are driving the current lexicon.  Walsh, who has a job title of futurist, explained, during the early morning seminar, that even his job title represents the wave of a new revolution, rivaling the Industrial Revolution in its scope and depth.

Robotics have already been introduced to the market and we not only see that robots can duplicate many of the tasks we have been used to using at home, in the near future robots, with Agentic and Generative AI will be able to think and create on their own. Waymo devices, those driverless cars that are in Los Angeles, and in many huge metropolitan cities are nothing more than robots that are equipped with smart devices.  In China and South Korea, as stated in the seminar, robots are already in use, and now, music, through generative AI and other technologies now compose music in any genre you would desire by simply giving a few commands. Chat GPT now has technology, MusicGPT, that can create music in seconds. There’s Suno, Mureka and several other AI technologies that creators can access, that is changing the face of music.

According to an article in Rolling Stone, “The Impacts and Disruptions of AI on Music Industry Stakeholders,” “Consumers are now using AI to compose music. One of the ways in which AI is revolutionizing the music industry is through the use of AI music generators. These tools use machine learning algorithms to analyze existing music and create new compositions based on that analysis. This means artists can create entire tracks using AI-generated music.”

At NAMM 2026, many of the instruments on display had a futuristic theme to their designs. This, along with AI and synthesizers that contain string patches, and sound libraries already at the disposal of musicians, means that the future of AI, will be changing dramatically in 2026 and for years to come.

Traditional Musicianship

However, for now, musicians that have command of their instruments are still in demand. Yes, we can create music easily with many of the programs and yes, with AI. But the question is where is its soul? At NAMM 2026, many of the musicians, the virtuosos, who have taken the time to practice and study were spotted at NAMM. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, and many of the instrumentalists that have shaped music graced the NAMM halls.

“Ready” Freddie Washington, popularly known for his iconic bass line on Patrice Rushen’s mega hit “Forget Me Nots,” was one of the amazing musicians that were spotted at NAMM. Currently, he is working with a Blues artist, Arthur Adams. “He’s from Quincy Jones, The Crusaders, and that sort of thing,” said Freddie Washington. He’s impressed with the progress of bass as an instrument. “I think it’s very promising,” said Freddie Washington. “I think bass has come a long way. They have some bass players coming up doing some stuff and I think it is very promising. And once I get my hands on them to show them how- I was teaching at USC for a semester- I really changed their outlook and approach on bass. They were young students, and they were really getting it.”

NAMM this year featured many of the classic brands, and some new brands, including C. F. Martin & Co., Inc., Fender, UBass, Gibson, inMusic, Korg, PRS Guitars, Yamaha, Roland and many others.

Although there are new ways of making music, such as AI, practice, and knowing your instrument, especially for live performances, will still be impactful in this new burgeoning age of AI and music.

“The Future Favors the Bold.”

All photos by The Scoop LA.

Tags: Journalism, Music, NAMM, TheScoopLA_thelascoop