The lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis, Peter Gabriel, has suggested that the music industry should embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as he believes that machines will soon be able to do most jobs.
Gabriel was responding to a comment made by Nick Cave, who recently referred to a song made by AI as a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”.
“I think that’s a bit like King Canute on the beach, unfortunately. It’s coming. We’re only just building it, we have no idea what it’s going to achieve”.
In a new issue of Uncut magazine, Gabriel stated that AI is coming and we have no idea what it will achieve. He believes that in 10 years, or maybe even five, there will be no job that cannot be done better by AI. Gabriel uses his Tesla car as an example, stating that it does a lot of the driving for him but he still keeps his hands on the wheel. Similarly, in the creative process, AI will be able to aid artists in their work. Gabriel acknowledges that some artists want to play with AI, while others want to shut it down. However, he believes that it is better to work with a powerful new tool than to ignore its existence.
“I can’t think of anyone whose job couldn’t be done better by Al in 10 year’s time, maybe five. For instance, when I drive down to the studio in my Tesla, the Tesla is doing a lot of the driving for me – but I’m still keeping my hands on the wheel. The same thing is going to happen more in any process, including creativity. With some of the AI, half the artists want to play with it and half want to shut it down. But I think you do better if you work with a powerful new tool, than just grumble or pretend it doesn’t exist”.
Gabriel has always been interested in modern technologies, and his dad was an inventor. He believes that creating tools that change our lives is possible and we should embrace them. Gabriel believes that things like Google and Wikipedia have changed our lives and that the mobile phone, which was a by-product of the space race, has also had a significant impact.
“My dad was an inventor, so I grew up believing we can create tools that will change our lives. We take it for granted that things like Google and Wikipedia are there, but how much has that changed all of our lives? Or the mobile phone, which was a by-product of the space race”.
He concludes that if high-tech education and healthcare can be made accessible to the poorest homes in the world, then we will have done a great thing. Gabriel is set to release his album I/O later in 2023.
“If we can get high-tech education and healthcare into the very poorest homes in the world, then we’ll have done a very fine thing”.