Queen's legendary guitarist, Brian May, is raising a ruckus over the unchecked rise of artificial intelligence in the music industry. He's not mincing words, labeling AI training practices as outright "theft" and warning that if tech giants continue their "monstrously arrogant" ways, the future of music could be in jeopardy. May's rallying cry is part of a broader UK-wide campaign against AI's encroachment on creative rights.
May's beef centers on AI systems gobbling up copyrighted material without so much as a nod to the original creators. He argues that this rampant data mining could make music production so costly that only the elite can afford to play. "The future is already forever changed," May laments, as he joins forces with over a thousand artists in a silent protest album, Is This What We Want?, aimed at shaking up policymakers.
This isn't May's first rodeo with AI-induced headaches. Just months ago, he was fuming over a deepfake scam that used his likeness to hawk fake backstage passes. "My God. This is horrific," he blasted on social media, highlighting the dark side of AI's potential for deception.
As AI continues its march into the creative sphere, May's outcry serves as a stark reminder: without proper checks, the soul of music could be at risk, and the artists who pour their hearts into it might find themselves sidelined by machines.