This Theft Has Already Been Performed”: Queen’s Brian May Fears the Dangers of AI Are “Unstoppable”

While helping Queen become one of the most successful rock bands in music history, Brian May also explored a career as an astrophysicist. But always sharing a love for the stage and music, he continued to work with Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor. Outside of his time with Queen, he also nurtured a solo career with albums like Back to the Light and Another World. Having spent decades in the music industry, May recently discussed the surge of AI and the many dangers it presented not just to music but to the world. 

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The UK government looked to make some changes to what it allowed with AI when they proposed an amendment that allowed artists to opt out of having AI mine their work. Although supporting the amendment, May told the Daily Mail, “My fear is that it’s already too late – this theft has already been performed and is unstoppable, like so many incursions that the monstrously arrogant billionaire owners of Al and social media are making into our lives. The future is already forever changed.”

With May staying positive about the future and the campaign, he continued, “I applaud this campaign to make the public aware of what is being lost. I hope it succeeds in putting a brake on, because if not, nobody will be able to afford to make music from here on in.”

[RELATED: “We Didn’t Plan It”: Brian May Recalls the Iconic Freddie Mercury Moment That Was Completely Improvised]

Brian May Worried About AI On A Global Stage

While May wanted to protect the music industry and the artists who dedicate their lives to making music, he also focused on the dangers of AI on a global scale. “The potential for Al to cause evil is, obviously, incredibly huge – not just in music but people can die if Al gets involved in politics and world domination for various nations.”

Over the last few years, AI has already showcased its potential power as just a few words can produce entire videos, heart-pounding music, and speeches that would take hours to write. With AI, it can tackle the work in just a few seconds. 

Outside of May, the musician joined over 1,000 artists who spoke out about the dangers of AI and how the technology could steal their work and voice. The list includes names like Annie Lennox, Kate Bush, and Damon Albarn.

(Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Mercury Studios)