Nick Cave criticises ChatGPT again, says it should “fuck off and leave songwriting alone”

“AI may very well save the world, but it can’t save our souls. That’s what true art is for.”

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Nick Cave

Image: Jim Dyson / Getty

Musician Nick Cave has shared his argument against AI-based tech ChatGPT once again, and has said it should “fuck off and leave songwriting alone.”

Cave, who fronts band the Bad Seeds, previously bashed ChatGPT, branding it “a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human,” after a fan contacted Cave via his Q&A site, The Red Hand Files, and shared some lyrics generated in his style, made by the AI tool.

Now, Cave has again criticised the integration of AI technology in the songwriting process in a conversation with The New Yorker. “It is more a kind of sad, disappointed feeling that there are smart people out there that actually think the artistic act is so mundane that it can be replicated by a machine,” he said.

“I find that insulting. There’s no earthly reason why we need to invent a technology that can mimic this most beautiful and mysterious creative act. Particularly writing a song. The thing about writing a good song is that it tells you something about yourself you didn’t already know. That’s the thing. You can’t mimic that.

“Maybe A.I. can make a song that’s indistinguishable from what I can do. Maybe even a better song. But, to me, that doesn’t matter – that’s not what art is,” the O Children singer claimed.

He later concluded, “In my humble opinion ChatGPT should just fuck off and leave songwriting alone.”

Earlier this year, we experimented with ChatGPT ourselves and asked it to show us how to make music. The chat tool generated lyrics for us and generated melodies and chord progressions.

Deadmau5 recently told MusicTech his thoughts on ChatGPT, too, saying that “it’s pretty scary,” says Joel. “But it’s scary in the sense of how stupid music already is anyway, so it’s not that frightening. Like, ‘This thing can make a pop song!’ Have you heard a pop song? Great. Let it go. Unleash the beast, you know – holy shit would that ever open up the niche market for actual musicianship.”

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