SHINEDOWN's Zach Myers Slams A.I. Music Generation: 'It's Awful'

In a recent interview with Primordial Radio, SHINEDOWN's axe-slinger Zach Myers unleashed a blistering critique of A.I. music generators, labeling them as pure garbage. "That's awful," he declared, dismissing the Nashville trend of using algorithms and machine learning to churn out tunes. Myers, who believes in the power of lived experiences, challenged aspiring songwriters to embrace the human condition rather than rely on soulless technology.

Myers clarified his stance, emphasizing, "I'm not writing with artificial intelligence." He recounted his daily interactions with A.I. like ChatGPT, but insisted that these exchanges never venture into the creative territory of songwriting. The guitarist's disdain for A.I. in music echoes a larger sentiment within the metal community that values authenticity and the rawness of human expression.

"Everything starts with a good purpose, right?" he mused, reflecting on how the internet's noble beginnings have devolved into a cesspool of online negativity. He warned that relying on A.I. for creativity is a slippery slope, stating, "You can fool some of the people some of the time; you cannot fool all the people all the time." For Myers, any chart-topping hit born from a machine's calculations is a hollow victory. "If you can sleep at night knowing you got a Number One song because of your iPhone and a computer's advice, that's your burden to carry," he admonished.

Myers' bandmate, frontman Brent Smith, echoed these sentiments, ensuring fans that their latest album, "Ei8ht", was crafted without the aid of A.I. Smith's philosophy centers on the irreplaceable energy of human collaboration. He remarked, "We want music to be made by people with souls and with a consciousness." The electric connection between living musicians, he argues, is what breathes life into music, something no software can replicate.

In a world where technology continues to encroach on traditional artistry, both Myers and Smith stand firm in their belief that true creativity is a human endeavor, one that should not be compromised by artificial intelligence. As they continue to forge their path, they remind us that the heart of rock and metal lies in the unfiltered expression of life itself.