Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones hits out at use of AI in songwriting

nme.com:

Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones has criticised the use of artificial intelligence in songwriting.As more artists are speaking out about the increased prevalence of AI in the music industry, the singer said that art is about “a real person’s expression”.Jones was speaking to Times Radio at Latitude Festival on Sunday (July 23), after he’d performed with his new band Far From Saints when he shared his doubts about AI.The musician said it wasn’t until he attended the Ivor Novello Awards in May this year that he released AI technology was being used more to “finish off people’s songwriting” (via BBC).“I’m not against forward-thinking technology and how things are progressing, but I think art should come from people, I mean the basics of it anyway,” he said.“I think art has always been somebody’s expression, a real person’s expression from a heart, from a head.”He added: “If you’re going to start an idea, then a computer finishes it, I mean, it’s OK, but it’s just about algorithms and things like that.”The singer also said he’s “not really into 10 songwriters on a song”, adding: “It’s like if you’re making a painting, you’ve got 10 painters chucking paint on a canvas.

I mean, whose painting is it anymore?”Jones is not the first artist to cast doubt over emerging AI technology in the music industry.

Earlier this year, Nick Cave called ChatGPT and AI songwriting “a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”.Recently, Sting said AI “doesn’t impress” him and that songwriters will have to defend “our human capital against AI”.

Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, however, said “AI will change music forever” since others can “game the system” and “not going to spend 10,000 hours in a basement.”In the film industry, meanwhile,.