Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan Speaks Out in Defense of AI in Music: “Its Only Job Is To Make Me Happy, Me, Not You, Not the World, No One”

No matter which side of the debate you are on, AI is here to stay. Proving its vast capabilities, the technology has changed the entertainment industry. Movies, books, shows, music, and paintings – AI can do it all. And to make it better – it can do it in a fraction of the time. But with the advancement of technology also came critics. Although numerous celebrities and stars criticized the use of AI in entertainment, Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan took a unique stance when he defended AI and suggested he used it. 

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Embracing the persona of Clown in Slipknot, the musician’s real name is Shawn Crahan. Having nurtured a career in alternative metal for over three decades, the musician watched the industry change several times. And the latest change – AI. 

Not trying to run from the future, Crahan sought to add it to the creative process. Admitting he employed AI “190%”, the musician considered it to be the best assistant. “The way I look at it. it is a professor in my pocket who only wants to do what I ask it. Its only job is to make me happy, me, not you, not the world, no one.”

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Shawn Crahan Willing To Use AI To Save $150,000

As for where Crahan needed help from AI – poetry. Using the technology to help him adapt thousands of poems, he revealed the prompt he often used. “Here are my words. Don’t change them. Don’t alter them. But show me some different ways to sing it.” 

While Crahan understood the criticism coming from his fellow musicians and singers, he was somewhat confused about the difference between AI and a producer. As he saw it – the only difference was about $150,000. “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.”

Although Crahan was oddly specific about a famous producer not wanting to work with him, he wasn’t about to expose them. “I’m not mentioning any names.”

With Crahan not running from the future, he made it clear that for him, AI isn’t about replacing creativity – it’s simply another tool in the toolbox.

(Photo by Kevin Nixon/Classic Rock Magazine/Future via Getty Images/Future via Getty Images)