Nick Cave says his views on AI have “softened” with release of AI Elvis music video for Tupelo

Nick Cave has changed his opinion on AI, as the Bad Seeds frontman has released a video of the band’s 1985 single, Tupelo, featuring archival images of Elvis “brought to life” using the technology.

Cave has been a prominent critic of AI in the past, particularly of ChatGPT. He previously branded the platform as a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human” and said it should “fuck off and leave songwriting alone.”

Despite this, he’s addressed the newly released video for Tupelo – which celebrates its 40th anniversary – in reply to a fan question submitted via his website, The Red Hand Files.

Within the post, Cave explains how the video was presented to him as a gift by filmmaker Andrew Dominik. The pair have worked together in the past, namely on Cave’s 2016 documentary One More Time With Feeling.

He shares how the song describes the birth of “the King” Elvis Presley during a heavy storm in Tupelo, Mississippi. Though Cave says he was skeptical at first, he says Dominik told him, “Suspend your fucking prejudices and take a look!”

“So, I watched Andrew’s film, then watched it again,” writes Cave. “I showed it to Susie [Cave’s wife]. To our surprise, we found it to be an extraordinarily profound interpretation of the song – a soulful, moving, and entirely original retelling of Tupelo, rich in mythos and a touching tribute to the great Elvis Presley, as well as to the song itself.

“The AI-animated photographs of Elvis had an uncanny quality, as if he had been raised from the dead, and the crucifixion-resurrection images at the end were both shocking and deeply affecting,” he adds. “As I watched Andrew’s surreal little film, I felt my view of AI as an artistic device soften. To some extent, my mind was changed.”

Cave continues, “I believe that the ability to change one’s mind is the very definition of strength. We pursue the truth wherever it may lead, remaining flexible and humble enough to adjust our views as new evidence emerges, regardless of how uncomfortable that may feel. It is ultimately a form of resilience, not a sign of weakness. Rigidity breaks; flexibility endures.”

You can watch the video below:

Rachel is a DIY musician who began learning guitar and keyboard from her bedroom at 14. She has written news and features for MusicTech since 2022, and also has bylines across Kerrang!, Guitar.com, and The Forty-Five. Though a lover of heavy music, her guilty pleasure is 2000s pop.