AR Rahman calls for rules to protect artists amid rising AI concerns

Music composer AR Rahman has highlighted the need for strict regulations to safeguard artists as artificial intelligence continues to shape the creative landscape.

Rahman discussed how AI is impacting the music industry.

He said that they were in a situation where rules were urgently needed, stressing that not everyone should be able to access someone else’s identity and distort it. He added that it was very important to establish rules that allow creative people the freedom to do extraordinary things while preventing them from stealing others’ identities.

Rahman emphasised that regulations are essential to ensure creators can experiment freely without the risk of having their work or identity misused by AI technologies.

Earlier, veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar offered a more measured perspective on AI.

Akhtar said that if there were a choice between AI and natural stupidity, he would choose AI. He added, however, that AI is still in its early stages, and it is hard to imagine what might happen in five or ten years. At present, he said, AI posed no threat to creativity, noting that it could help write letters or draft official notes, but creativity was a different matter. He acknowledged that the situation could change in the future, but thankfully, he felt he had escaped that time.

He further explained why AI could not yet replicate human art, observing that the problem with AI was that it had not experienced a traumatic childhood, the death of a mother, or heartbreak. He pointed out that AI had no subconscious, painful memories, or failed relationships, and that creativity arose not only from logic but also from pain, heartbreak, and lived experiences that no machine possessed.

Akhtar concluded that while AI is advancing rapidly, the core of music and other art forms remains rooted in human emotions and lived experiences.