Ed Sheeran Opens up About His Concerns Regarding “Bizarre” AI Technology
In a candid discussion, Ed Sheeran delves into his perspective on the integration of artificial intelligence into the music realm, describing the technology as “unconventional.”
The maestro behind ‘Subtract’ engaged in a conversation with Audacy, at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City.
As the dialogue neared its conclusion, the topic shifted to Sheeran’s familiarity with the surge of AI-powered music experiments that have taken social media by storm.
“What I don’t understand about AI is like, for the last 60 years, Hollywood movies have been telling you, ‘Don’t do it’. And now everyone’s doing it,” he responded. “And I’m just like, ‘Have you not seen the movies where they kill us all?’”
Sheeran continued: “Also, I just don’t know why you need it – if you’re taking a job away from a human being, I think that’s probably a bad thing.
“The whole point of society is we all do jobs. If everything is done by robots, everybody’s gonna be out of work. I just find AI a bit weird. But ChatGPT… f*****g why not?”
In a later revelation, Sheeran casually dropped the fact that he boasts the iconic teddy bear from Steven Spielberg’s 2001 cinematic masterpiece, ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence,’ nestled snugly within his coveted trove of film memorabilia.
“I watched that the other day and I was like, ‘See! Spielberg and [Stanley] Kubrick were trying to tell us something’.”
Check out the full video of the interview below.
This year, we witnessed a bit of AI trickery as it conjured up a faux “lost” Oasis album, only for Sir Paul McCartney to chime in with a nifty revelation that the tech had unlocked the door to a final Beatles track.
Nick Cave, frontman of the Bad Seeds and a deep thinker, minced no words when he branded this notion a “grotesque mockery of our humanity.” He then doubled down, urging AI platforms like ChatGPT to take a hike and quit meddling with the sacred art of songcraft.
Other artists to have weighed in on the issue include Noel Gallagher, Sting and Grimes. The latter gave her blessing for her voice to grace AI-concocted melodies but went on to suggest that Spotify should reserve a corner for tunes birthed by the digital maestros.
In a slightly different rhythm, Damon Albarn of Blur fame shook his head at the notion of AI-crafted tunes, labelling them as “absurd.” His sardonic take? “If the AIs are the future of music, we’re gonna need better dr**s to get us through it.”
Rolling back the calendar to June, the Recording Academy played its notes, announcing a fresh rule that bars AI-born harmonies from waltzing into Grammy territory.
And while all this tech chatter buzzes like neon lights, don’t forget that Ed Sheeran is rockin’ the North American leg of his grand ‘Mathematics’ world tour, filling stadiums with his chart-topping melodies.
—Silviya. Y
