Weird Al Yankovic is not embracing the supposed technology of the future. In a time when it feels like artificial intelligence is growing rapidly out of control, it’s nice to know there are those who still enjoy the toil of doing human work. And despite the unfortunate fact that Al and AI are almost indistinguishable in a sans serif font, Weird Al wants nothing to do with it.
Speaking with The Post-Standard ahead of a July 10 concert in Syracuse, New York, Weird Al commented on the AI phenomenon. Generative AI has made parody songwriting easier than ever. But when a song is just a command typed into a machine, it loses the creative spirit that comes from human intelligence. In other words, AI strips away anything that makes a song even remotely interesting.
“I’m not a fan of AI,” said Weird Al. He further explained his distaste for the technology by recalling an opportunity for an ad spot. It seemed simple enough, he said. But no one told him about the company’s true nature until it was almost too late.
Weird Al Bailed on Ad Spot After Learning It Was Actually for AI Software
“I was offered this commercial before the tour,” Weird Al continued. “I’m not going to mention any names, but they told me it was for a business. It was business software that would increase productivity. And they offered me a nice pile of money. I said, ‘Oh well, yeah, sure, I could do that.’”
In this day and age, when almost everything seems to be a drain on energy, motivation, and attention span, software to increase productivity might sound like an easy fix. But, as Weird Al learned, it’s not without a cost.
“And then a week before we’re supposed to shoot it, I find out, oh, this is, it’s AI,” he continued. “And I thought, ‘Oh no, I can’t be the poster boy for AI, forget it.’”
Al said he backed out of the ad opportunity immediately. While he did express remorse at bailing on the responsibility just a week before the shooting began, that new knowledge turned a simple advertisement into somewhat of a moral decision.
“I felt bad about kind of pulling out at the last minute,” Al admitted. “But yeah, I’m not, I’m not down with that.”
AI-generated parodies may be easy and quick to churn out, but they’ll never be as good as even Weird Al’s least popular songs. More than that, it’s just kinda lame.
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