On May 5th, Will.i.am, the founder of the Black Eyed Peas, joined a growing list of hip-hop celebrities who have expressed concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence (A.I.). During an appearance on Sirius XM, he engaged in a lengthy discussion with DJ Whoo Kid and his co-hosts, Mack and Jen. They spoke about the effects of A.I. on society and the arts. His views were similar to those expressed by other artists about the future of art. It seems uncertain in a world dominated by A.I.
When asked about his thoughts on whether artists should be worried about A.I., Will.i.am responded by stating that it is a legitimate concern. He went on to express his desire to safeguard his face from the potential threats posed by the technology, saying, "I am my face math, I don’t own that. I own the rights to ‘I Got A Feeling,’ but I don’t own the rights to my face or my voice? There are new laws and industries about to boof."
A.I. And The Future Of Music
Will.i.am is far from the only artist that has criticized A.I. Drake has been in the headlines a lot recently for the same reason. The rapper has been involuntarily involved in the new wave of A.I. music that has begun to saturate social platforms. From funny covers to nonexistent collaborations, A.I. creators are taking the concept and running with it. Drake isn’t too happy about it either. In fact, he called an A.I.-generated cover of Ice Spice’s “Munch (Feeling You)” the final straw. It’s not clear where to draw the line when it comes to A.I. “art.” Some musicians have even given people the go-ahead to use their voices as they choose.
Universal Music Group has urged streaming platforms to remove content created by artificial intelligence (A.I.), and many other artists, including Drake, have criticized this practice. This raises several issues, from copyright problems to human rights violations. If a creator can use an artist's likeness or voice with no consequences, what implications does that have? Other musicians share Drake's concern about this issue, and it seems that the problem is only getting worse. More and more websites are emerging that enable users to use a rapper or singer's voice to create a new song. What do you think about A.I. in music? Let us know in the comments!