Sting says he does not ‘feel any competition’ from AI

Sting gave his thoughts on AI music (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire Casey Cooper-Fiske 6 minutes ago Former The Police singer Sting has said he does not “feel any competition” from artificial intelligence (AI) in music creation.

The 74-year-old said that while the technology has the ability to write a catchy pop song, it does not have the lived experience of a human artist.

He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I think AI can make perfectly serviceable pop music that you might hear in a railway station or a hotel lobby, and you can hear it, but would you listen to it?

“Because AI has never had its heart broken, it doesn’t have a story, it has a borrowed story, so you’re not really hearing a song.

Sting went on to say he was concerned that AI could end the ‘labour economy’ (Owen Humphreys/PA) PA Archive “So, in that sense, I don’t feel any competition so far, people still want to come and see live concerts, they want to see a human being, a vulnerable human being who can make mistakes and not a machine that is perfect.”

But Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, said he thinks there is a “danger right now with AI potentially destroying the labour economy”, adding that “we’re all in that danger”.

The singer, whose musical The Last Ship will be performed on the West End from next week, is the latest in a line of artists speaking out about AI.

David Bowie producer Tony Visconti told the Press Association earlier this month that the late star would have experimented with the technology, but that he thinks it is “disgusting”, while dance music producer Nia Archives said AI music “won’t last”.

She said in July: “I don’t know if AI music will last to be honest with you, I think it’s quite like a fleeting technology moment.”

But 4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry said in May that she felt artists should “embrace” AI.

She said: “To me, it’s just another tool that has shown up to make people’s life easier in some way.

“I said earlier, like microwaves, when microwaves showed up, everybody thought it was the end of making dinner, and mums were just going to throw it in there, and poof, we were going to be in the Jetsons with this powder that turns into a turkey for Thanksgiving, and it’s not.

Sting is one of a number of musicians to speak out about AI (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire “It’s just this is the future, we have to embrace it, because if we try to run from the future, then we’re running from solution.”

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