2023 ‘will be the last year you know a song was written by a man’: Queen guitarist

This year's surge in AI in music production is just the beginning of a seismic shift in the industry, says legendary Queen guitarist and scientist Brian May, who says it's “going to be really weird.”

In an interview with Rosie Bennett for the Fear Not podcast, May said: “AI will have the ability to override other people's skills and do something. Because I think 2023 will be the last year you know something was written by a human.

The most notable example was the AI-generated “Heart on My Sleeve,” created by the eponymous TikTok user Ghostwriter. Generative used AI to create the vocal styles of Drake and The Weeknd's viral track. The song was so compelling that people asked if it could be considered for a Grammy.

During the podcast interview, the legendary guitarist and astronomer detailed his views on artificial intelligence and its potential impact on the music industry — and weighed in on the recent Hollywood writers' and actors' strike.

Many authors call AI a “plagiarism machine” because published works to train AI models are controversial. This practice left the developer of Stable Diffusion in the open and caused a split in the AI ​​community, including the Stable AI VP.

May acknowledged the fears of writers and artists that AI could be used to create similar works, but said the creative process would not be inspired by external sources.

“We are all plagiarists in a way. “None of us create in a vacuum,” he said. “Every time I create something now, I think, ‘Where does this come from? Is that what I heard? Is it something I suddenly felt? Where does it come from?' And where are those lines? “

Looking ahead, May sees a shift from AI being used to create music to AI creating and performing music.

“Sure, you can have people play AI-produced music, but eventually you'll have AI play it too—and you'll probably cry while listening to it,” says May. “Then you forget about people; people don't matter anymore.

“It's going to be weirder, faster than people think,” he said. “It's going to be very, very strange.”

Even as the recording industry continues to struggle with artificial intelligence, musicians—the release of electronic music mixes and the iconic band The Beatles—are using it to create new music and bring dead singers back to life for one more song.

As the debate over creating songs with AI continues, the Recording Academy says it will allow songs that use AI in their creation this year.

In June, the Recording Academy updated its rules for the 2024 Grammy Awards to include music created with the help of AI tools. However, the Recording Academy emphasized that AI can only play a part in the process—songs created mostly or entirely by AI, like “Heart on My Sleeve,” won't be eligible for a nomination.

Earlier this year fellow rocker Nick Cave didn't hold back when asked his opinion of an artist using ChatGPT for a simple reason. In a blog post, he said that because the tunnel is “quick and easy,” artists using ChatGPIT are participating in eroding the soul of the world and the spirit of humanity.

“ChatGPT rejects any ideas of creative struggle that give deep and meaningful meaning to our efforts to enliven and nurture our lives,” Cave wrote at the time. “It does not admit that there is a common, essential, and unconscious human spirit that sustains our existence, that binds us all together in our common endeavour.”

Edited by Ryan Ozawa.