David Byrne criticises AI for “sucking up all human knowledge”
David Byrne has clarified his stance on artificial intelligence, agreeing with the notion that the technological tool is the “biggest theft in history”.
The former Talking Heads frontman is in the UK for a round of shows. As such, he has spoken with the BBC’s Newsnight on his stance on the use of AI in the creative industry.
Byrne began, “I think it’s a useful tool used in a very limited way, but it’s already creeping into things in ways that are uncontrolled. And of course, the people who programmed it and made it don’t know how it works either. What a thing to unleash on us! Something that they don’t even know what it is.”
Though Byrne conceded that “to some extent it is probably a useful tool used in the right way,” he admitted that AI “is basically stealing a lot of copyright material, which is basically illegal.”
When asked whether he had personally used AI in any of his work, the star admitted to a one-time usage: “I have used AI in an animated video, animating my own drawings,” he revealed.
However, Byrne clarified, “It didn’t draw on anything outside of my own work. It was an animation tool.” The former Talking Heads frontman was adamant that he had never used it in his songwriting, musically or lyrically.
When asked about what he thought of the AI albums on Spotify, the ‘This Must Be The Place’ singer laughed heartily, admitting, “To be honest, I haven’t heard the AI albums. I can only imagine what they sound like. But I haven’t heard them, so I can’t pass judgment.”
Reacting to the idea that AI can make a song in the style of his music, the musician added, “My question is… The way it learns what a David Byrne style is by stealing David Byrne’s music. That’s the part is basically illegal.”
He ended succinctly that the tool is “basically sucking up all human knowledge and throwing it back at us – and charging a price.”
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