Maynard James Keenan rejects claim that AI will replace artists: “I don’t feel like that’s legitimate”
Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan has added his voice to the current discourse surrounding AI in the creative industry, criticising the technology but rejecting the idea that it will soon replace all musicians.
In a new interview with AZ Central, the musician opened up about his stance on how online algorithms beget societal division. When asked if there is a viable path back to normality, Keenan likened the issue to the increasing involvement of AI in the creative space.
He began with a reflection on the intensity of the current discourse surrounding AI, sharing, “Right now, artistically, you have a lot of people kind of flipping out about AI.”
He elaborated, “There’s a million arguments from many angles, but one of the ones is that it’s going to somehow replace actors, artists, and all that.”
Keenan likened this threat of AI entirely replacing another functioning part of the industry to parallels he has noted from the past: “Of course, we heard that when drum machines were invented, and we heard that when the cameras were invented.
He went on, “I think there are other considerations of why AI is a bad idea. But as far as being replaced, I don’t feel like that’s legitimate.”
Trying to find his overall point, the musician concluded, “This has to find a balance. It has to be a breaking point when you have religious fundamentalists calling all the shots. True believers are scary. It doesn’t sustain, right?
The use of AI in the industry has appeared to split musicians in half. On one side, plenty of musicians have condoned the use of the technology altogether; Dua Lipa, Elton John, and Paul McCartney have all insisted that AI should remain separated from the music industry.
However, some performers, such as Boy George and Charlie Puth, have embraced the technology, with the latter now the Chief Music Officer at the AI company, Moises, which already boasts 70 million users worldwide.
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