Singer Nick Cave has called a song written by an artificial intelligence chatbot in the style of one of his songs as a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”.
The Australian singer-songwriter was writing in his newsletter The Red Hand Flies in response to a fan called Mark from New Zealand who had suggested he listen to a song written by ChatGPT, The Guardian reported.
Mark sent Cave the song, written using the viral software which can be used to impersonate the style of specific individuals.
The ChatGPT version of Nick Cave included the Cave-inspired lyrics “I am the sinner, I am the saint/I am the darkness, I am the light/I am the hunter, I am the prey/I am the devil, I am the saviour”.
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Writing back, the singer said he did not “feel the same enthusiasm around this technology”.
In response to the use of AI, Cave wrote, “It can never be rolled back, or slowed down, as it moves us toward a utopian future, maybe, or our total destruction. Who can possibly say which?
“Judging by this song ‘in the style of Nick Cave’ though, it doesn’t look good, Mark. The apocalypse is well on its way. This song sucks”.
Cave went on to call ChatGPT an exercise in “replication as travesty”, The Guardian reported.
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Nick Cave has made it clear he is not a fan of ChatGPT.
The singer is currently in the process of writing songs for a new album, a process he called a “blood and guts business” that requires “humanness”.
The Into My Arms singer finished by thanking Mark, but said he didn’t like the song that much.
Cave’s previous studio album with the Bad Seeds, Ghosteen, came out in 2019.