Photo Credit: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at Coachella 2012 by Jason Persse / CC by 2.0
Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine said they don’t see AI as a threat but a new tool for artists to incorporate into their workspaces. Fans are unhappy about it.
Dr. Dre has caused an uproar with his pro-artificial intelligence stance revealed in an interview with The New York Times alongside producer Jimmy Iovine. Asked if they view AI as a threat to the music industry, Dre expressed that only people “who have trouble creating” feel that way, while Iovine chalked most of the backlash against AI to tech companies having terrible public relations practices.
The rapper and producer talked about a conversation he had recently had with someone who was very against the use of AI. “I’m like, ‘OK, you sound like the person that would have been against the drum machine when it came out.’ Or synthesizers, right? It’s a new tool for creativity.”
“Some people are afraid of learning new things. I’m embracing it. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with this,” Dre continued. “I think the only people that see it as a threat are the people who have trouble creating.”
“I don’t see the downside at all,” added Iovine, Dre’s longtime partner and co-founder of Interscope Records. “There will be some crappy music. There’s crappy music now. In the studio, when gifted people have AI, they’re going to make better records.”
Iovine even went so far as to claim that there’s “a lot of closet AI producers out there.” Dre. doubled down: “They’re using it; they just don’t want to admit it.”
Fans online were quick to come at Dre in the comments section on recent posts on his Instagram, with some going so far as asking how much he had invested in AI tech companies.
The use of AI in music is a sensitive issue for many artists and fans alike. Fenix Flexin has denied the use of AI for his hit “RUBBERZ,” while Tyga has been very open about his use of AI across his new $TARFACE album. Fans of both artists have been vocal online about their disappointment at the use of AI.
Meanwhile, artists like Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk view the use of AI as a shortcut for creating music and “a way to bypass the creative process.” Musicians and bands like King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have experienced AI clones of their music and presence online that can cut into their streaming royalties if they go unchallenged.