Brian May has joined the growing chorus of musicians voicing concerns about AI and its effects on music.
Speaking to the U.K.s Daily Mail, May railed against AI, saying “nobody will be able to afford to make music” if “monstrously arrogant” tech companies are allowed to develop and train the technology that uses copyrighted works without requiring a license from the artist or their publisher.
The guitarist is concerned about the U.K. government’s plans to adopt changes to copyright laws that would ease restrictions on AI developers. Under the law, they could use online songs without license for “text or data mining,” unless the rights holders chose to “opt-out,” something artists have call an unrealistic expectation to place on artists.
If passed, the law could set the stage for similar changes to copyright in other countries, including the U.S., where investment in AI is a high priority.
“My fear is that it’s already too late," May says. "This theft has already been performed and is unstoppable, like so many incursions that the monstrously arrogant billionaire owners of Al and social media are making into our lives. The future is already forever changed."
The guitarist says he’s heartened by a new silent album released on February 25 by Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien, Damon Albarn, Kate Bush and more than 1,000 other musicians, to raise awareness of AI’s dangers and protest the proposed changes to copyright law. Titled Is This What We Want?, the album includes recordings made in empty studios and performance venues to signify what will be lost if humans are edged out of music creation.
“I applaud this campaign to make the public aware of what is being lost,” May says. “I hope it succeeds in putting a brake on, because if not, nobody will be able to afford to make music from here on in.”
May first voiced his fears of AI in a 2023 interview with Guitar Player.
“I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different,” he told us. “We won’t know which way is up. We won’t know what’s been created by AI and what’s been created by humans. Everything is going to get very blurred and very confusing, and I think we might look back on 2023 as the last year when humans really dominated the music scene.“
May — who was recently honored with a signature Gibson SJ-200 acoustic guitar — has been vocal about how much he’s gained from fellow musicians over the years. In addition to being influenced by the tones of artists like Jeff Beck, May said he was originally set on the path to find his electric guitar tone by Rory Gallagher, whom he met backstage at London’s Marquee club.
Indeed, all that human interaction will be lost for future guitarists if the barriers against AI are lowered.
AI’s rising impact on the music industry has led to predictions that it will greatly reduce artist’s incomes. A report released last December by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) said AI reduces opportunities for musicians, who are likely to lose a quarter of their income to AI over the next four years.
