Hozier says he would consider striking over AI’s threat to music

17 August, 2023

Hozier performs on day 3 of the 10th Anniversary of Shaky Knees 2023 at Central Park on May 07, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Credit: Scott Legato/Getty

Hozier has shared that he would consider striking over the threat that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to the music industry.

In a preview of tonight’s episode of Newsnight (August 17), Hozier – real name Andrew Hozier-Byrne – explained to presenter Victoria Derbyshire: “Whether [AI is] art or not, I think, is nearly a philosophical debate.

“It can’t create something based on a human experience. So I don’t know if it meets the definition of art.”

He continued: “Actors at the moment… there’s huge strikes on at the moment. Yeah, a huge part of that is that [AI] can be used to create a product without human labour.”

Asked if he could imagine going on strike over the threat AI poses to the music industry, Hozier responded: “Can I imagine? Yeah. Joining in solidarity if there was action on that? Absolutely.”

You can see the clip below, and watch the full episode of Newsnight at 10:30pm BST on BBC Two.

Hozier shared that he would be willing to join similar action to the US actors and writers’ strikes, who are fighting for better contracts and protection against the use of AI in the industry.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) have gone on strike together for the first time since 1960.

The Hollywood actors union joined the WGA in taking strike action on July 13, after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who represent major studios like Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Warner Bros. and others.

Both unions are seeking better pay, streaming residuals and safeguards against the use of AI technology amid the rise of streaming services.

Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown (centre). CREDIT: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Other musicians have also shared their opinions of the use of AI within the music industry. Nick Cave previously said AI should “fuck off and leave songwriting alone”. He made headlines back in January after sharing his less-than-enthusiastic views on using AI platforms to write songs – stating that the process is a “grotesque mockery of what it means to be human”.

Back in June, Noel Gallagher responded to the AI-generated “lost” Oasis album that was released earlier this year.Speaking to NME as part of the ongoing In Conversation series, Gallagher shared: “These fucking idiots have clearly got too much time on their hands and too much money that they can afford the technology to fucking piss around doing that for a laugh.”

He then revealed that he was “saving up for the technology myself.” He continued: “Then I’m just gonna dial it in to some computer and fucking churn it out when I’m 73. I’ll have 140 albums to go after I’m fucking dead to keep my kids in choc ices and fucking weed.”

Hozier recently released his third studio album, ‘Unreal Unearth’. In a four-star review of the LP, NME shared: ‘Unreal Unearth’ is a product of going where the song takes you: whether that’s the synth-filled landscape of ‘De Selby (Part 2)’ the different parts of the world mentioned on ‘Butchered Tongue,’ or even to hell. As for what comes next, it’s clear that no matter where he goes, Hozier makes the journey worthwhile.

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