Dr. Dre is one of the greatest producers in hip-hop history, but that reputation has never saved him from backlash. Fans expressed outrage after he and Jimmy Iovine defended the prevalence of AI technology in music in a new interview with The New York Times.
When asked if they see artificial intelligence in music as a threat, Iovine said he sees no downside. The Interscope cofounder spoke on music potentially being "crappy," but said that's the reality right now and posited "gifted" creatives will make better material with AI. However, he did argue part of the reason for the backlash against AI is because tech companies have horrible public relations practices.
Then, Dre chimed in. "I don’t see [AI in music] as a threat," he expressed, adding that "the only people that see it as a threat are the people who have trouble creating."
Dr. Dre On AI Music
"I had a discussion with a few people a few days ago," the producer continued. "They were against AI and I’m like, 'Okay, 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."
Dr. Dre confirmed he's using AI "as a tool to see what it would do with what I just did." Also, he agreed with Jimmy Iovine's claim that a lot of folks are "closet AI producers" who don't want to admit to using it.
Controversies surrounding AI in music have been very prevalent this year. Fenix Flexin caught a lot of heat for "RUBBERZ," whereas Tyga has been unabashed about his use of AI on his $TARFACE album. In both cases, fans did not respond very sympathetically.
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Of course, Dr. Dre's billionaire status means he will always embrace new technologies, business models, and practices that are driving entrepreneurs and corporations. But as a respected hip-hop pillar, many fans are disappointed in this AI embrace, although others were more graceful. We'll see if Dre changes his tune someday or doubles down.
