Gary Numan, pioneer of electronic synth-pop and creator of the UK’s first electronic number one hit with 1979’s ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’, has voiced his concerns about artificial intelligence’s growing influence in music.
Blitzed magazine is out today and, amongst many other excellent things, has an interview with me and another with @raven_numan https://t.co/mki8IhDh1O pic.twitter.com/kSos0RNw8B
— Gary Numan (@numanofficial) January 3, 2025
In an interview with UK magazine Blitzed, a publication dedicated to the New Romantic movement and wider alternative 80s cultures, the musician described his emotions towards the technology as a mixture of fear and hope. “
The new album I’m working on now is devoted entirely to AI and how it might impact humanity. I’m fascinated and horrified in equal measure,” he teased. Fans have speculated about the AI-themed project since at least October 2023 on Reddit, following a hint during a Patreon Q&A.
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In the interview, Numan was fair, acknowledging the ever-increasing potential of AI. “I fully expect AI to write great songs, paint extraordinary paintings, and write amazing books. There will be AI pop stars and actors who will become as popular, if not more so, than any human.”
He even drew comparisons to ABBA Voyage, which has contributed £1.4 billion to the UK economy since its debut. AI-assisted shows like Elvis Evolution, launching in London in May 2025, suggest this trend is only beginning, though the origins of it can be traced back to hologram shows featuring Roy Orbison and 2Pac in the 2010s, if not even further.
Numan’s concerns extend beyond the technical capabilities too. He fears a loss of the “human element” found in art’s greatest pieces, predicting that audiences will eventually seek the imperfection and emotional depth that only humans are capable of. “They will look for something real that resonates with their own lives,” he said. One Reddit user summed the argument up best, saying “nobody will travel to the Louvre to see AI art.”
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AI is already causing debate across creative industries, and Numan isn’t the first artist to have shared his views. While the Beatles’ final track, ‘Now and Then’, used AI to restore old tapes rather than generate new material, it still sparked controversy, prompting Paul McCartney to clarify the role of the technology. Ed Sheeran spoke out about the potential loss of jobs back in 2023, when he called AI “weird”.
McCartney joined other artists in signing a petition calling for the government to change it’s approach to AI copyright issues, asking that it replace its opt-out system for an opt-in system, allowing more control over their own work. The government has outlined three objectives in their recent consultation: control, access and transparency.
Meanwhile, the UK government remains divided on how to regulate AI, particularly in balancing economic growth with protecting creative industries. Head of DCMS Committee Dame Caroline Dinenage has warned that any gains from AI innovation could be offset by a loss of jobs and revenue from artists, calling it a “zero-sum game”.
Given his role in embracing synthesisers, an instrument that would shape entire genres of music, and dominated the sound of the 80s, Numan’s cautious warning serves as a damning indictment for the future of AI.
While AI continues to evolve at an alarming rate, so does the debate over its place in music, art and wider society. Numan ended on a note of hope: “If we survive long enough, I hope and suspect that people will slowly return to human-created art.”
