Sting joins the conversation against AI songs:

• Sting has joined the conversation, warning against songs written by artificial intelligence and urging caution about the technology.
• “That’s going to be a battle we all have to fight in the next couple of years,” he said in a new interview. “Defending our human capital against AI.”
• The use of AI in music is the subject of debate in the industry, from an unauthorised AI track using Drake and The Weeknd’s voices to Grimes giving permission for her voice to be used as long as she gets royalties.

British musician Sting warned against songs written by artificial intelligence in an interview with the BBC published Thursday, urging caution about the technology.

The 71-year-old said, “The building blocks of music belong to us, to human beings.”

The use of AI in music is the subject of debate in the industry, with some denouncing copyright abuses and others praising its prowess.

AI technology was used to imitate Canadian singers Drake and The Weeknd in a song released last month called Heart On My Sleeve.

The viral track was briefly available on music streaming platforms before it was pulled following a copyright complaint from Universal Music Group, which publishes both artists through a subsidiary.

Canadian singer Grimes put the word out after the song’s release, that she is fine with her voice being used for AI-generated songs, as long as she gets half the royalties.

“Feel free to use my voice without penalty,” Grimes said on Instagram last month. “I’ll split 50 percent royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice.”

READ MORE | Grimes says AI can use her voice for songs – as long as she gets royalties

David Guetta meanwhile recently used AI to add a vocal in the style of rapper Eminem to a song for a live show. But the French producer said he will not release it commercially.

“The tools are useful, but we have to be driving them,” Sting said.

“I don’t think we can allow the machines to just take over. We have to be wary,” he added.

Sting – real name Gordon Sumner – shot to fame with The Police in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits such as Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon.

He then forged a solo career with classics such as Englishman in New York, Fields of Gold and Shape of My Heart.