One thing certain about 2026 is that the ongoing debate about the place of AI in music will continue to rage. It’s a subject virtually every high-profile artist has been asked about, with many - such as Brian May, Kehlani and country singer songwriter Breland - being openly critical.
Now Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan of Slipknot has made his feelings known and put himself firmly in the pro camp. In a new interview with The Escapist, the percussionist and co-founder of the metal icons has said he’s “employing it 190%” and has described it as “a professor in my pocket who only wants to do what I ask it.”
For Crahan, AI doesn’t just mean tools such as ChatGPT that have come to market in the last few years. He says: “I’ve been using AI my whole life,” claiming that he has used technology to turn “thousands and thousands” of poems he’s written since he was young into new creative forms, by saying: “Here are my words. Don’t change them. Don’t alter them. But show me some different ways to sing it.”
Partly, claims the Slipknot man, it’s a matter of expense. “What’s the difference between me pulling out my pocket producer… or me trying to get a famous producer that might not even work with me and could potentially cost me $150,000… who will only give me one or two ways – I’m not mentioning any names!”
Crahan does note that the human element is still the most important facet: “But it’s still going to take me to sing it. And it will never be like it was,” he adds. “None of it can work without you, the human. It’s a giant oracle… but it needs you.”
It should be pointed out that not everyone in the Slipknot camp feels the same way. When interviewed by Kerrang Radio about the subject back in 2023, Corey Taylor said he “can’t stand it.”
The frontman said of AI: “It’s an even worse example of technology taking over for talent than what I’ve been ranting about for years with Pro Tools and tuning and using the same sounds. And people keep going, ‘Oh, isn’t it cool?’ I’m, like, no, it’s not cool. What are you - out of your mind?”
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