Queen’s Guitarist Brian May Worries “Far-Reaching” Impact of Using AI in Music
British rock band Queen performing live at Olimpiyskiy stadium, Moscow, Russia during world Tour. Photo by gregorylee/depositephotos
“We might look back on 2023 as the last year when humans really dominated the music scene.”
Queen’s guitarist Brian May speaks of his hopes and fears for the use of AI, admitting that “artistic area” is his “major concern.” “I think by the time next year, the landscape will be completely different,” the guitarist told Guitar Player. He expressed his fear about the possibility that machine-made “art” would be able to compete with human-made art with technological advances. “We won’t know which way is up. We won’t know what’s been created by AI and what’s been created by humans,” said May. “I really think it could be that serious, and that doesn’t fill me with joy.”
May stressed while using technology the right way could empower people and “increase the powers of humans to solve problems,” the potential abuse has serious consequences that is “much more far-reaching than anyone realized” and is “massive scary.”
“‘cause nobody dies in music, but people can die if AI gets involved in politics and world domination for various nations,” he explained.
May isn’t the first musician to express concerns about artificial intelligence killing creativity. The Sex Pistols’ John Lyndon weighed in on the topic earlier this year and described AI as “very dangerous” for its potential to “ultimately make decisions for you.” He told the Guardian that it “has infiltrated young people’s minds now to the point of total domination.”
Sting also warned the public of an upcoming battle between machines and humans and in an interview with BBC, he vouched to defend “our human capital against AI” in the “battle we all have to fight in the next couple of years.”
Nick Cage, on the other hand, thought the technology was merely “a grotesque mockery of what is it to be human,” while artists like Grimes saw a new way of making revenue. Earlier this year, she gave permission to her fans to use her voice to make their own music with AI as long as they share royalties with her.
