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Queen guitarist Brian May has taken to Instagram to post an AI-generated version of the artwork of the band’s classic 1980 album ‘The Game’.
May used Meta AI to make the cover, which resurrects late frontman Freddie Mercury. He did so in order to make a “very serious” point about the environmental impact of AI to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Check out the post below:
The original cover sees all four members of Queen standing side-by-side in matching leather jackets.
As you can tell by the AI version, there are now apparently five members in Queen, and they’re all unrecognisable.
Check out the original album cover for comparison:
May captioned the picture of the laughably poor AI cover: “I just had to share this with you guys. I asked Meta AI to show me what the cover of THE GAME album looked like. This is what it gave me ! Good job, eh ?”
“So this is the kind of intelligence that will soon be ruling the world ??! Well, great. Maybe this is the time to realise WE ACTUALLY DON’T NEED AI !!”
May added that he was “now very serious”, adding: “I believe the price we are about to pay for this ‘inevitable’ development is way too high. We must not allow these hideous Data Centres to be built in the UK. They will destroy our beautiful country, like they are already destroying beautiful America.”
Addressing Prime Minister Andy Burnham, May signed off his post by writing: “Dear Andy – you must stop it now. Before it’s too late.”
May’s comments come at a time when creative fields are wrestling with the existential crisis that AI can represent. It’s a divisive topic, with various artists condemning its use and the recent likes of Martin Scorsese and George Lucas receiving backlash for their endorsement of AI.
Recently, Brad Pitt spoke about the use of generative AI in music.
“I heard an AI song the other day that was pretty damn good,” he said in an interview with Esquire. “But it had a repetitive nature to it. It’s not going to be the same as hearing her voice – a woman’s voice, a person’s voice.”
In July, British record producer and singer Nia Archives said AI music “won’t last” while speaking at the launch of the Mercury Prize.
“I don’t know if AI music will last to be honest with you,” she said. “I think it’s quite like a fleeting technology moment.”