Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has joined others in worrying about how artificial intelligence might affect music in the future.
Recently, many artists like Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Robert Smith from The Cure, Stevie Wonder, The Last Dinner Party, Billie Eilish, and the families of Frank Sinatra and Bob Marley, wrote a letter called ‘Stop Devaluing Music.’ In the letter, they voiced concerns about AI being used in a bad way and messing with human creativity.
In a new interview with Battleground Podcast, the rocker touched on the letter and admitted that the concept of AI doesn’t ‘thrill’ him. He said:
“I’m not super excited about this new development, only because I just know that people, for the most part, are gonna use it so much that it’s gonna… For one, it’s gonna be confusing and misleading. And then there’s just gonna be too much of the same kind of look or sound for different things. I see it happening already.”
Slash Fears AI Can ‘Get Out Of Control’
In July last year, Slash spoke to Collider and shared his concerns about the future of AI in the music industry:
“It’s a little scary to me because I think we have a tendency to take advantage of any really cool technology, to the point of overdoing it and using it as a crutch and losing all integrity to technology.”
He also shared that the moment he knew things would ‘be out of control in no time’ was when he heard an AI cover of The Beatles. It was later followed by a sampling of Axl Rose singing the Velvet Revolver’s ‘Fall to Pieces.’
But he also sees the potential in AI, calling it ‘an interesting development’ with lots of possibilities:
“There’s a ton of really cool, interesting stuff that can be done with it. I do have a lot of fears about where it’s gonna go. It doesn’t interest me directly, as far as music or film, at this point. We’ll see where it goes.”
Other Rockers Aren’t Afraid Of AI
While Slash has concerns about AI’s place in the industry, some other musicians don’t think it’s a big issue.
Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill recently talked about the influence of the tool in heavy metal music and the metal community. He mentioned its differences in both studio recordings and live performances, saying AI can’t perform live and it just mimes what has already been done.
Similarly, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt said AI could never replace real musicians, it can only try to make everything perfect while rock is all about ‘imperfections.’
Both musicians also agreed that it’s not a tool to be scared of, and to be used for your own good instead.
You can see the interview below.