Zambian hip hop music producer and songwriter, Yahya Kaba popularly known as KB Killa Beats has cautioned artists on over reliance of AI as the technology has both advantages and disadvantages and should only be used to support creativity rather than replace it.
Speaking in an interview with the Lusaka Star, KB Killa Beats said artists who depend entirely on AI risk losing their originality and creative ability.
“Every technology has its advantages and disadvantages and AI is no different,” he said.
“Some people use it wrongly while smart artists use it wisely,”.
He stated that AI generated songs do not generate as much value as music created through genuine artistic effort adding that musicians should only use AI for ideas before developing their own work.
“AI songs do not have much money compared to real songs,” he said.
“Artists need to use it for ideas and then do everything on their own”.
KB Killa Beats noted that relying too much on AI could eventually take away an artist’s natural talent.
“AI may take away originality and creativity depending on how you use it, You need to add to what it gives you,” he said.
“How you choose to use it as an artist will determine your creativity as a musician”.
He observed that the growing number of AI generated songs on streaming platforms such as Spotify has reduced the human touch in music.
“There are a lot of AI songs on Spotify, and it has taken away that human element,” he said.
Despite his concerns the artist acknowledged that AI has made music production easier by reducing the time and resources needed to produce an album.
“Regardless it has made work easy. I can compose my whole album with my laptop without being in the studio. In the real world, I would need to do everything from scratch, which can take months or even years to create a 10 track album,” he said.
“It has simplified everything but some artists have become lazy, The big beneficiaries are those using it wisely”.
Meanwhile musician Elton Mulenga, popularly known as Yo Maps said AI generated songs are acceptable but are mostly used by people who cannot sing.
Speaking on the Phoenix Breakfast Show, Yo Maps said established international artists still rely on their natural talent instead of AI.
“You can’t see big artists like Chris Brown using AI in their songs,” he said.
He added that although AI is becoming a permanent part of the music industry he has no intention of using it in his own music.
“AI is here to stay, and I love whatever it’s doing. It’s great and we are learning from it,” he said.
“AI songs and their outcome are amazing but I can’t use AI in my songs because I have natural talent”.