AR Rahman on the dangers of AI

In a recent interview with The Week, Rahman expressed his disapproval towards this trend and discussed the remixes and reimaginings of songs. However, he said he thinks misuse of AI is a much bigger issue. In the same interview, he called AI evil and said, “An even bigger evil is that people are abusing AI and not paying the composer, even if they are borrowing his style. We need this cat. There is a need to wear a bell because it can create big ethical issues and people can lose their jobs.”

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

Rahman’s history with AI

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

Earlier, singers Neeti Mohan and Kavita Krishnamurthy have also talked about the misuse of AI tools in music. Speaking to HT City earlier this year, Neeti had said, “Yes, we use technology and software (to enhance voice/music), but to recreate the voice of a singer who is Use an AI that has passed away or use the voice of a current singer without their permission.” Is illegal. I heard that some legalities are being worked out so that it is not misused in future. After a point, people will realize on their own that this is not a good option.”

Rahman’s most recent work includes the score for the Tamil film Raayan and Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, both of which were praised and their songs were chartbusters. His upcoming works include Chhava and Thug Life.