Eletctro-pop pioneer Gary Numan has always been drawn to the world of technology. 1979 saw him releasing two tracks pondering a tech-infused future, with Tubeway Army’s Are ‘Friends’ Electric? topping UK charts and solo track Metal pondering humanoid robots.
However, the advancing capabilities of AI in music have changed his previous fascination with technology to something closer to horror. “The new album I’m working on now is devoted entirely to Al and how it might impact humanity,” he admits in the latest issue of Blitzed. “I’m fascinated and horrified in equal measure.”
While he explains he feels “more sad than scared”, Numan is concerned for what AI will mean for future artists. “There will be Al pop stars and actors who will become as popular, if not more so, than any human,” he theorises. “We will go to shows where the stars are Al but appear on stage just the same… Everything is about to change.”
One needs only consider the success of ABBA Voyage. The avatar-driven shows earned over £100 million in their first year. KISS are hoping to bag just as much success with their own avatar-led shows.
“I fully expect Al to write great songs,” Numan notes. “It will paint extraordinary paintings, write amazing books, stunning poetry. I think for quite some time the world will be amazed and entertained by all the wonders Al will create in the arts.”
However, Numan believes that the human touch will never be fully captured by AI. “Ultimately, if we survive long enough, I hope and suspect that people will slowly return to human created art,” he says. “[People] will once again be looking for the human element, the human experience that created that art. They will look for something real that resonates with their own lives, not a learned Al version of it.”
“That may just be childishly hopeful of course,” he adds. “We will see.”
While Numan hasn’t revealed a release date for his upcoming AI-inspired record, 2021’s Intruder proved that the synth star still has some tricks up his sleeve, peaking at No. 2 on the UK charts.
