Hozier has given his thoughts on the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in music during a recent interview. The Irish singer spoke to Dan O’Connell of Radio X, revealing that he is aware of instances where his voice was used by the technology to cover different tracks. One of the examples he gave was a “Take Me To Church” cover featuring Homer Simpson. Hozier acknowledged that this was one of the sillier, harmless uses of the technology, contrasting it with the bigger questions he posed surrounding the AI training music catalogues for generative purposes.
The Homer Simpson AI cover of “Take Me To Church” features the character’s deep, signature voice singing along to the tune. Hozier is not the first artist to have one of their tracks covered by the yellow cartoon character using the technology; The Libertines and the Arctic Monkeys among others have also had similar experiences. Hozier has previously expressed concern over the threat that AI poses to the music industry and suggested that he would consider striking.
During an appearance on Newsnight last summer, the artist expressed his belief that the technology could not create art based on human experience and questioned whether it met the definition of art at all. Hozier also drew parallels with the current strikes by actors over the use of AI, stating that the technology had the capacity to create products without human labour. Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, Robert Smith and Stevie Wonder have recently signed an open letter raising awareness of the “predatory” use of AI in music.
Ultimately, Hozier made the point that the use of AI in music has both silly, harmless applications and deeper, more complex implications. While gimmicks like the Homer Simpson cover offer a bit of fun for fans, artists and industry professionals are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of AI on the creation and production of original music
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