As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the music industry, Mick Jagger is making one thing clear: he has little interest in hearing computers recreate The Rolling Stones.
The legendary frontman recently addressed the growing use of AI in music, drawing a distinction between creative experimentation and technology that simply copies existing artists. While The Rolling Stones have dabbled with AI-assisted visuals, Jagger says the road is crossed when artificial intelligence begins replicating the voices, sounds, and identities of real musicians.
Speaking in a brand new interview with Billboard, Jagger reflected on the band’s recent experience using deepfake technology within the music video for “Within the Stars,” a track featured on The Rolling Stones’ newly released album “Foreign Tongues.”
The video digitally transformed the band’s appearance, allowing younger versions of the musicians to seem on screen. Nevertheless, Jagger emphasized that the technology was limited to visual effects quite than replacing the performers themselves. “We had numerous fun with that,” Jagger explained. “It’s only the faces of the musicians which are different.”
In line with the singer, the performers remained real musicians playing in an actual environment, with the digital effects serving only to recreate the band’s youthful appearance.
The Rolling Stones Draw The Line At AI Music Clones
While Jagger appeared comfortable with AI’s role in visual storytelling, he expressed significant concern about technology getting used to copy artists’ voices and musical styles. “Obviously I don’t need to be imitated by AI, vocally and instrumentally, and the band doesn’t,” Jagger said.
Jagger argued that technology needs to be used to create something original quite than produce near-identical copies of existing musicians. “I don’t want people just putting stuff on the market that may sound exactly like The Rolling Stones,” he said. “I believe that’s obviously improper.”
His comments arrive as record labels, artists, and lawmakers proceed debating how AI-generated music needs to be regulated. Lately, viral songs using artificial versions of major artists’ voices have sparked lawsuits and renewed discussions about copyright protections within the streaming era.
In reality, Billie Eilish was certainly one of greater than 200 artists who signed an Artist Rights Alliance open letter in April 2024 urging AI developers and tech firms to stop using AI in ways that might “infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.” The signatures included Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Jon Bon Jovi, and others.
Keith Richards Wants Originality, Not Replication
Fellow Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards echoed Jagger’s concerns while offering his own perspective on the growing AI trend.
Richards described the band’s recent music video as its transient “brushing with AI” and joked that seeing a younger version of himself on screen was flattering. “I said, ‘Very nice. I wish I looked like that now,’” Richards recalled.
Still, the guitarist made it clear he believes music should proceed to be driven by human creativity quite than algorithms trained on existing work. “My thoughts are: I’d quite hear something original,” Richards told Billboard.
He added that music should proceed evolving through recent ideas as a substitute of endlessly recycling familiar sounds.
AI Continues To Divide The Music Industry
Jagger’s comments place him amongst a growing variety of high-profile artists voicing concerns about how artificial intelligence is getting used across the entertainment industry.
The talk has intensified as AI tools develop into increasingly able to recreating vocals, generating songs, and mimicking the forms of established performers. While some artists have embraced the technology as a creative tool, others worry it could blur the road between inspiration and imitation.
For Jagger, the difficulty appears less about artificial intelligence itself and more about the way it’s used. “If someone desires to make music by AI, go ahead,” he said. “Nevertheless it needs to be original. You may have to have your personal input and your personal thoughts.”
Mick Jagger Says AI Should Encourage Creativity, Not Copy It
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer added that using AI solely to generate songs “within the variety of The Rolling Stones” misses the purpose of creativity altogether. “For those who were any sort of creative person,” Jagger said, “you wouldn’t do this.”
The comments arrive as “Foreign Tongues,” The Rolling Stones’ latest studio album, continues introducing the band’s music to a brand new generation while concurrently sparking conversation about how technology may shape the long run of the industry.