Queen’s Brian May on AI threat: “2023 will be the last year that humans will dominate music.”

The collective concern about AI’s impact on the music business seems to have calmed down a bit recently.

Just a few months ago, in April, at the height of the “fake Drake” controversy, the mood was very different.

Panic erupted as superstar artists’ voices were spoofed left, right and center.

William Packer, an influential media and technology analyst at BNP Paribas Exane, was concerned about the potential impact of AI on the music business and even downgraded Universal Music Group’s stock twice from “outperform” to “underperform”.

Packer wrote that “AI is a new disruptive threat” where “the industry narrative is half-full… for now.”

Things have been looking a little more optimistic since then.

On the one hand, Universal Music Group and YouTube recently partnered to develop AI tools that offer music rights holders “safe, responsible and profitable” opportunities.

Plus Pershing Square, the New York-based hedge fund management company led by billionaire investor Bill Ackman — and owner of around 10% from UMG – sees a significant commercial opportunity for UMG in AI.

However, there are still some doubting voices, including one of the most successful pop and rock songwriters of the past century.

Brian May, the legendary guitarist for legendary British rock band Queen, was asked about the “potential use of AI in the music world” in a new interview.

May’s answerspeak with guitar player magazine, was exceptional.

He said: “[My] The main concern is now in the artistic field. I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different. We will not know in which direction it goes.

“We will not know what was created by AI and what was created by humans. Everything’s going to get very blurry and very confusing, and I think we could look back to 2023 as the last year that humans really dominated the music scene.”

He added: “I really think it could be that serious and I’m not happy about it. It worries me and I’m preparing to be sad about it.”

I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different. We will not know in which direction it goes. We will not know what was created by AI and what was created by humans.”

brian may

Don’t be too quick to dismiss May’s views on AI as the views of a rocker of a certain age.

The Queen man is arguably just as qualified to comment on issues of science and technology as he is on the state and development of pop music.

May received his PhD in Astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007. his thesisThe book, which you can read here, is titled A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud.

In other words, Brian May is a smart person… and his open-minded view of the future we can expect with AI arguably drowns out much of the current noise around the technology.

“I find the whole thing enormously frightening. It’s a lot bigger than anyone thought – well, definitely than I thought.”

brian may

More comments on the subject of AI in an interview with guitar playerMay explained that he believes that “a lot of great things will come from AI because it will increase human ability to solve problems.”

But he added: “The potential for AI to do evil is obviously incredibly great – not only in music, because in music no one dies, but people can die when AI gets involved in politics and world domination of different nations .”

“I find the whole thing enormously frightening. It’s a lot bigger than anyone thought – well, definitely than I thought.”music business worldwide