Published on
Legendary musician Nick Cave has shared his thoughts on the use of AI, saying he’s not sure if the controversial technology will “save the world” or “annihilate it”.
In the latest entry to his The Red Hand Files newsletter, Cave responded to a question from a fan regarding whether he is a “doomer or boomer” towards AI.
“Artificial Intelligence,” he replied, “may save the world, annihilate it, or do something in between. I don’t know.”
Cave continued, regarding AI’s increasing role in new music: “Song generator platforms are, in my view, indicators of this nascent technology’s demonic potential to hollow out human endeavour and sever our connection to the divine.”
“They mock creation itself by rendering humanity unnecessary, taking the fruits of human striving and reducing them to mere products. It is, perhaps, our final, most soul-destroying humiliation,” he explained.
The musician has been a vocal critic of artificial intelligence, calling it “unbelievably disturbing” in the past and previously telling ChatGPT to “fuck off and leave songwriting alone”. He also revealed that he received numerous submissions of AI-generated song lyrics written “in the style of Nick Cave”, which he called “a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”.
He did appear to soften his stance last year. Replying to a fan-submitted question asking if changing an opinion is a sign of weakness, relating to director Andrew Donminik’s ‘Tupelo’ film (which uses AI), Cave admitted that changing one’s once-rigid opinions could be a sign of strength.
“As I watched Andrew’s surreal little film, I felt my view of AI as an artistic device soften. To some extent, my mind was changed,” Cave wrote about the AI-powered video made to mark the 40th anniversary of his song ‘Tupelo’. He admitted that the footage was “uncanny”, as the video used AI to animate still archival images of Elvis Presley.
At the time, Cave said that the AI-animated photographs of Presley “had an uncanny quality, as if he had been raised from the dead, and the crucifixion-resurrection images at the end were both shocking and deeply affecting.”
Now, it seems that Cave is back to condemning generative AI in all its forms – specifically when used for songwriting.
When asked by another fan whether art can be separated by the artist – a debate that has followed artists and culture fans for centuries – Cave replied: “We cannot separate the art from the artists, for they are as inseparable as the waves from the sea they rise from. That may be an uncomfortable truth for some but, for me, the matter was settled. Until now.”
He continued: “With the advent of song generation platforms, the thorny issue has been upended. At last, the artist can be separated from the art. Not just that, the artist – that flawed, messy, broken, woeful, joyful problem – can be removed from the equation altogether, like so much dross.”
Taking aim at the AI song generator Suno, he went on: “Suno, the Great Cancellator, which has never loved or laughed or grieved, never experienced joy or loss or heartbreak, never felt boredom or its adjacent epiphany, produces an imitation of the soul – a song – in fifteen seconds flat. This is an affront to any songwriter who has lived and struggled in this world and earned the right to create a song.”
He concluded: “For those eager to rid the world of problematic artists – for these censorious forces remain persistent – it is surely cause for celebration, as these platforms promise to rid the world of artists altogether.”
The most recent Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds album is 2024’s ‘Wild God’ – which made Euronews Culture’s Best Albums of 2024 end of year list.
Cave recently announced a North American tour for 2027 that will see him answer questions from fans and perform stripped-back versions of his songs on the piano. Tickets for the new ‘Conversations With Nick Cave: An Evening Of Talk And Music’ tour go on sale on Friday (13 November).