AI remains a hotly debated topic across most industries. In the music world, while some tout the technology’s potential to speed up creativity and production workflows, others have expressed concern that the data on which models are trained hasn’t been properly licensed.

The potential of artificial intelligence to outperform humans in various fields is a real concern for many, including Gary Numan, who – while he acknowledges he’s reaching retirement age – has pessimistic predictions for what the future holds.

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When asked about the future of the technology in a new interview with MusicRadar, Numan admits that “there’s so many different ways of looking at AI”.

“I’m too old to fear it because by the time it’s done the damage it will do I’ll probably be retired… Ultimately, I believe it will be the end of mankind, but from an artistic point of view it will do amazing things.

“It will create amazing images and music and there will be avatar pop stars that look every bit like the real thing. You’ll probably go to gigs to watch them, just like you do with the ABBA Voyage show, which looks unbelievable and that’s only going to get better.

He goes on: “There will be a vast amount of AI bands that will all look beautiful and I’m sure they’ll have amazing artwork that probably moves and you’ll go to a gig and it’ll look as if they’re actually there, so we’re as replaceable as a fucking cotton bud.”

The music world was shown recently that AI artists can garner a following, when it was revealed that the Velvet Sundown, a “group” that had amassed nearly half a million Spotify monthly listeners, was the work of AI music generator Suno.

Despite his somewhat pessimistic outlook on the future of creativity, Numan acknowledges that AI “will do a lot of good as well”.

“It’s going to make amazing advances in technology, healthcare and diagnostics and so on, but it’s a pivotal moment in our history as far as the hierarchy of people making the decisions, and who’s ruining the planet.”

And what about AI’s potential to reinvigorate the brands of aging artists?

“If you’re a 17-year-old girl, who would you rather come and see, some 75-year-old bloke doddering around the stage with grey hair, which is what I’m going to be soon, or a young version of me that looks absolutely like he’s there, all young and pretty?” Numan says.

“Once you’ve got used to the fact that you’re looking at virtual people that will be the future. If we survive long enough, at some point it might go full circle and people will want to listen to somebody that suffered the way they suffered, rather than somebody doing an interpretation of somebody that suffered. How pessimistic is that? [Laughs]”

The post “By the time it’s done the damage I’ll be retired – but ultimately, I believe it will be the end of mankind”: Gary Numan on the future of AI appeared first on MusicTech.