Sean Paul: AI risks opening a pandora’s box

Sean Paul has shared his thoughts on the potential influence of AI in the music business.

Sean Paul feels “apprehensive” about the potential impact of AI.

The 52-year-old star admits that AI represents a possible “pandora’s box” for the entire music business.

The ‘Get Busy’ hitmaker – who has worked with the likes of Beyonce and Sia during his career – told Sky News: “It’s a pandora’s box – when you open it, it’s going to change all the parameters. It’s down to you to get used to the game.”

Sean fears that AI could make songwriters “lazy” and that music could become “more dispensable”.

He said: “I am apprehensive about certain parts of [it] in terms of making people lazy to writing. It can become a toy and make music more dispensable.”

Sean actually feels as though he’s had “the short end of the stick for a long time”.

The chart-topping star reflected: “I feel me, the artist, the creator, I’ve got the short end of the stick for a long time. Even before the days of streaming – we get 0.0 something of the product – and it’s we that created it.”

Despite this, Sean is determined to remain open-minded about the potential of AI.

He said: “I’ve used it for trying to finish riddim patterns that I have … I used it as a tool … as I think everybody should.”

Earlier this year, Sir Paul McCartney proposed changes to copyright law that would protect artists from AI.

The Beatles icon warned that AI could create a “Wild West” in the music business.

He told the BBC: “You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don’t own it. They don’t have anything to do with it. And anyone who wants can just rip it off.

“The truth is, the money’s going somewhere. Somebody’s getting paid, so why shouldn’t it be the guy who sat down and wrote ‘Yesterday’?”

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