AR Rahman calls AI ‘evil’, says its misuse in music can lead to people losing jobs: ‘We need to bell this cat’

AR Rahman on dangers of AI

In a recent interview with The Week, Rahman discussed song remixes and reimaginations, expressing his disapproval of the trend. However, he added that he felt the misuse of AI was a much bigger issue. In the same interview, he called AI evil and said, “An even bigger evil is people misusing AI and not paying the composer even if they are borrowing his style. We need to bell this cat because it could lead to major ethical issues. People could lose jobs.”

The composer admitted that AI has its benefits, but added that composing a tune still requires a “human heart and philosophical mind”. Many creators have used AI tools to recreate various songs in the voices of different singers, raising questions about ethics as well as copyright and creative ownership.

Rahman’s history with AI

Interestingly, Rahman had used AI to recreate the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for the song Thimiri Yezhuda in Lal Salam. However, the composer clarified that he had sought permission from the singers’ family members, and remuneration was sent for the same.

In the past, singers Neeti Mohan and Kavita Krishnamurthy have also spoken about the misuse of AI tools in music. Speaking with HT City earlier this year, Neeti had said, “Yes, we do use technology and software (to enhance voices/music), but using AI to recreate a singer’s voice who has passed away or using an existing singer’s voice without their permission is illegal. I’ve heard that there are some legalities being worked out so that it is not misused in the future. AI is depersonlising art. After a point, people will themselves know that it is not a good choice.”

Rahman’s most recent work includes the scores for Tamil film Raayan and Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, both of which were praised and had chartbuster songs. His upcoming work includes Chhava and Thug Life.