‘AI is gonna take over music’ - Producer encourages players to embrace technology

Producer Adrian 'Donsome' Hanson says the recent uproar about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music is out of fear of embracing change.

"All who yuh see a run round bout it, dem new to it man. But what [producer] NotNice did the other day [in signing an AI artiste] might be inspired by the multimillion-dollar deal [another] AI artiste signed in the US. But I've been using AI-altered vocals for over two years now," he said.

However, he said with the proper use and management of the tool, other musicians should welcome it as a creative function to enhance their musical expertise.

"It should be embraced because it's always good to be into technology... AI is a major tool for songwriters - not just to sing but to promote yuhself as a creative. AI is gonna take over music just like how it's taking over everything else," he said. Hanson, who's a former artiste, said with more of his attention now being placed on producing, AI grants him the ability to confidently demo material he has written, then power them through the software.

"If me have di talent fi write a full album but don't feel confident enough to sing it, and if AI can come in and gimmie dat strength, why would I need an artiste?" he questioned.

Dancehall artiste KipRich opined that live shows will never stop and that is where AI will fall short.

"People ago waah fi see these artiste a move round pon di stage and perform, suh if I'm the artiste who demo a song fi a producer and dem fine-tune it wid AI, mi still ago perform dat song when I'm doing a live show. Suh I'm not really worried, a you di artiste affi figure out yuh craft while on stage to enhance it with more props," KipRich told THE STAR.

Hanson quickly rubbished the view that this technological change will further diminish the artistes' financial benefits, as producers will no longer need their input to promote and physically perform a song.

"I have a problem with the reggae industry and how reggae artistes have dealt with their craft over the years. As opposed to the Latin and Spanish music market, reggae is run like a patty shop, where a man wi sen yuh a riddim and yuh charge him a fee and after yuh send di money a it dat. There's little to no combined marketing and promotion and collaborative effort from both the artiste and producer's team to sell the song/album," he said. "AI is here to fix that patty shop business."

Hanson opined that similar to the introduction of computerised audio in music years ago, which several industry players, especially Rastafarian singers decided to 'bun out', AI will soon cement its space in music.

"A you push AI weh yuh want AI fi guh. Nothing is wrong with AI but yuh cyaah mek AI lead you, a yuh affi lead AI and it stay in di back fi just enhance yuh. Music is about pleasing people and there are broken people across the world suh if it's an AI song gonna get mi through a heartbreak, mi ago sing to it," he said.

Hanson recently submitted an AI-assisted album - Dem Can't Stop My Joy (Rastafari Forever) - to the Grammy Awards in the Best Reggae Album category. He and KipRich have also received the green light to the second round of votes from the Grammy Awards for the deejay's Donsome Records-produced single, No More Crime, which is now under consideration for the Best Global Music Performance award.