Nile Rodgers has upset some people over his use of AI. Not on a song, it must be said. But in an upcoming video.
The clip in question is a new version of The Christmas Song with the singer Rebecca Ferguson. Rodgers began by posting on social media footage of him on a photogrammetry rig with the words: “Working on a great art project that’s next level. This is the start of the process. This AI capture was very thorough and I’m so excited about the finished project.”
The backlash was immediate with comments ranging from the witty (“Drop the slob dude! Not very chic!”) to the merely disappointed: (“It’s wild how fast you can lose respect for someone you’d considered an absolute legend for decades. You didn’t need this.”)
Rodgers chose to respond to those comments though, posting: “Do you have a problem with CGI? I can’t believe you’d go on record without even seeing what I’m doing. Oh well… sending love anyway. Let me know after you see the work if you feel the same way your brain is taking you.”
When the negative comments kept on coming (“Big fan and I know this comes from a good place but AI use like this is actively damaging our planet and livelihoods. Thumbs down”), Rodgers dug himself deeper and got into some perhaps ill-advised what-aboutery.
“By the way you’re using AI daily,” he wrote. “You just hit me on Instagram. You’re being hypocritical. It’s ok for you to use AI in your way but you have problem with my way. Do you use Google, or get driving directions? Look at your own daily actions and check how much you use AI.”
The guitarist is certainly not the first public figure this week who’s underestimated the public anger there is about AI.
Rodgers has previous when it comes to voicing his support for AI. In 2024 he told Euronews: “So, I think using AI-generated vocals to copy another person’s sound is horrible, but using AI to artistically express yourself and make better music, I think, is fantastic.
"The way I want to look at AI is from the positive side. I want to look at it as just another color on your palette.”
He went on to compare the reaction to AI as similar to that when drum machines and synths first came out in the 1970s: “I think that creativity comes from the artist. Now, if you have a tool to help you become more creative, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Apparently, the finished video will be unveiled on 20 November, so we’ll all have a chance to judge for ourselves whether it was worth it then.
