Nile Rodgers thinks AI could offer “something wonderful” to music
American musician and producer Nile Rodgers has added his two cents to the ongoing debate surrounding the dominance of artificial intelligence.
AI technology has been rapidly advancing over the past few years, and many creatives are rightly concerned that it will become a threat to their jobs.
However, while some people are strictly against AI, others are embracing its potential. In a new interview with The Daily Star, Rodgers explained that AI could be “wonderful”. Despite “a lot of controversy” that the technology is garnering, Rodgers believes policing its use is not beneficial for artists.
“Right now we have to let the cards fall where they may because you can’t tell an artist, ‘You can’t paint with that colour’. You just can’t do that,” he said. “You have to let artists figure out what’s right and I believe that we all inherently know right from wrong and we will figure it out – this is right, this wrong.”
He added: “In a weird way I think it’s a big deal out of nothing, but it maybe something wonderful.” Rodgers essentially classified AI-created art as a sub-genre, stating, “Just like at the Academy Awards there is animation and there is real-life, there’s documentaries.”
Moreover, the legendary guitarist suggested that the panic surrounding AI is comparable to many musicians’ hostile reactions to synthetic instruments a few decades ago.
“I hear people talking about fake stuff. That sounds like noise to me,” he added. “That sounds like the noise we’ve been hearing all our lives. The drum machine and sequencer have been wonderful tools. There are bands that could never have had a record if it wasn’t for a sequencer. If we want to have a really relevant conversation, let’s talk about songwriters getting paid”.
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