Grimes says AI can make music, but humans must still tell the story
The singer-songwriter Grimes has embraced AI-generated music, but she insists that even as music formats change, humans must still play a central role. Grimes appeared at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colorado on Monday alongside Robert Kyncl, chief executive of Warner Music Group. Debating the future for music artists in the age of AI, both championed the enduring value of human connection and storytelling in an increasingly digital world. Kyncl predicted that an abundance of AI-generated slop will trigger a reaction by audiences to intentionally look for human-only services. Grimes, meanwhile, urged artists to think of their work as philosophers, and poets. “We’re lucky to be making art in an era where there’s such extreme change,” she said. “It’s like most artists don’t get to be tied into a great historical event that they can interpret.” In 2023, Grimes began an AI software program called Elf.Tech, which has allowed people to use her vocal likeness as long as she receives a 50% split of the master recording royalties. She said she views the so-called democratization of her voice as a way to feel free in an era where voice cloning is already happening. AI-generated music is surging. AI music generator Suno recently announced a new $400 million funding round at a $5.4 billion valuation. Suno and others have targeted use cases such as patients in hospice care using Suno to leave songs behind for loved ones, or therapists helping teens navigate mental health challenges through music creation. More from Fortune’s 25th Brainstorm Tech: Anthropic’s Boris Cherny, creator of Claude Code, says there are days he manages tens of thousands of AI agents at once Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf says economic warfare is the ‘new normal’ for military conflicts—and the U.S. needs to get serious Twitch CEO: Social media has become ‘antisocial’ and can’t match the shared, human connection of livestreaming Giant music groups have grappled with ho