JERRY CANTRELL Offers A Reasonable Take On The Use Of AI

The rise of artificial intelligence has caused some issues in the world of music and art, from fear of lost jobs to plagiarism thanks to whatever pool of information a particular AI is drawing upon. There's also issues with bad actors on streaming services, as well as the use of horrible-looking AI art.

As Alice In Chains guitarist and solo artist Jerry Cantrell points out in an interview with Full Metal Jackie, AI isn't inherently bad – it's just how people are using it. Though Cantrell's analogy of the many uses a hammer has is certainly a more colorful way of putting it.

"We're living in a time right now where it's proliferating and actually becoming integrated into society and used to manage algorithms and set it out and create content and stuff like that," said Cantrell. "So it's an interesting time because it's happening now."

"I don't know. It's a good tool. It's like any tool. You can use a hammer to smash somebody in the face or you can use it to build a house for somebody. It's up to the user how you intend to use it. So it's just another tool. As far as replacing the human aspect of creation and capturing the human experience and putting it into a piece of art, I don't think that that's really possible. I mean, at best you can get a really good facsimile, I think, out of it, but you still need the human touch to create something human and something that's gonna relate to another human being."

A "really good facsimile" is a solid way of putting it, as we've all seen some of those questionable AI art pieces floating around. At first glance they look alright, but stare a second longer and… yikes.