Dr. Dre says he is “embracing” AI in music: “It’s a new tool for creativity”

Over the last few months, artists like SZA and Jack Antonoff have publicly criticised AI, branding supporters as “disgusting”, “Godless Whores”. However, other artists are keen to see what the future of artificial music has to offer – including Dr. Dre.

In a new interview with the New York Times, Dr. Dre has made his stance on AI known. The producer and legendary rapper has likened the recent anti-AI movement to the initial pushback against synths. “I had a discussion with a few people a few days ago, and they were against AI,” he recalls. “I’m like, ‘OK, you sound like the person that would have been against the drum machine when it came out, or synthesisers.”

As he sees it, AI is the same at a drum machine or a synth, simply labelling AI as “a new tool for creativity”. He also notes that the criticism is probably because “some people are afraid of learning new things”, whereas he is “embracing it”.

“I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with [AI],” he adds. He also notes that he’s toyed with it in the studio “as a tool to see what it would do with what I just did”.

In terms of any fear surrounding AI, Dr. Dre simply believes that anyone afraid of AI is simply not confident in their own ability to create. “I think the only people that see it as a threat are the people who have trouble creating,” he concludes.

It’s a similar stance to his long-time collaborator and business partner, Jimmy Iovine. In the same interview, he says that he sees no downside to AI and labelled himself “very pro-AI” when it comes to music creation.

“I don’t see the downside at all,” he says. “There will be some crappy music. There’s crappy music now. In the studio, when gifted people have AI, they’re going to make better records.”

The producer also dismissed the suggestion that the technology poses a threat to musicians, saying: “I think the only people that see it as a threat are the people who have trouble creating.”

Iovine also shared a prediction of AI’s future back in 2023. Speaking to Consequence Of Sound, he said: “I’m not saying it’s good or bad, but I think AI is going to be massive in songwriting on many levels. One, on a very basic level, if somebody is stuck and you want to experiment and get an idea. Two, is that not everyone, but too many people today are making records for TikTok.”