How a lot of a menace to musicians is AI? It’s been the topic of intense debate within the final 12 months or extra, and guitarist Zakk Wylde reckons there’s really not that a lot to be fearful about.

In a latest Q&A session, the Black Label Society frontman and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist referred to as AI a “enjoyable” software, however dispelled fears that it might really exchange human artists. “You possibly can’t exchange what’s popping out of Ozzy’s thoughts,” he mentioned.

And now, Wylde has doubled down on his assertion that AI isn’t as scary as some make it out to be, telling Qobuz [via Blabbermouth]: “To me, it’s no large deal.”

Particularly speaking about AI music mills that are educated on massive datasets to give you music primarily based on easy person prompts, Wylde says: “Whoever the artist is that you just love, whether or not it’s Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath, you’ll by no means be capable to exchange what’s gonna come out of Tony [Iommi’s] riffs, what Geezer [Butler] is gonna write lyrically, what Invoice [Ward] is gonna play, what melodies Ozzy’s gonna sing, as a result of they’re creating it.”

He continues: “However I get it. I imply, if AI listens to all of Ozzy’s melodies and will get a really feel for what Ozzy’s type is, after which hears Tony’s riffs after which it might hear the tendencies Invoice performs, sure fills he does, and the best way Geezer performs bass, and it listens to the lyrics… and it comes up with one thing, it’d be no completely different than a songwriter attempting to give you one thing that Black Sabbath would write.”

He says the identical precept applies to an AI algorithm attempting to copy the music of Jimi Hendrix, for instance.

“Everybody’s scared of [AI],” Wylde goes on. “I simply suppose you’ll be able to’t take away what’s within the thoughts of Jimi Hendrix… You possibly can try to emulate it. 

“All I take a look at it’s the laptop is simply giving a praise to the sound of no matter band that they’re attempting to [emulate], just like the Eagles or one thing, [and write a song like Desperado or Hotel California].

“It doesn’t trouble me, as a result of I’m nonetheless gonna purchase the file from the Eagles.

Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society are at present on tour within the US. Take a look at the band’s web site for tickets and extra particulars.

Sam is the Affiliate Information Editor for Guitar.com and MusicTech. Totally immersed in music tradition for almost all of his life, Sam has performed guitar for 20 years, studied music know-how and manufacturing at college, and in addition written for the likes of Guitar World, Whole Guitar, Steel Hammer and MusicRadar.