During an appearance on the latest episode of Lisa Guerrero Unleashed, the podcast hosted by award-winning investigative journalist, keynote speaker, actor and producer Lisa Guerrero, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked for his take on artificial intelligence (A.I.) in music.
The bassist stated (as per blabbermouth.net), “The future is here. It’s not just in music. There was a [Al] Pacino movie years ago, about 10 or 15 years ago, about a… I wish I could remember the title, and I’m a big movie buff. In fact, I’ve produced a few. It was about a manager who can’t get a break, and he launches this new actress whose name is so-and-so, and it’s a big hit movie, but he can’t make her available for interviews because it’s an A.I. … She exists only in the movies. People think she’s a real person. And by the way, recently, like last month, there was a Number One country song by an artist who never existed and still doesn’t. And there are huge K-pop music acts who exist only in the A.I. world, and they have millions of fans out there. And you can liaise with modern A.I., ask questions, and they respond, and so on and so forth. The line between reality and kind of the A.I. world is diminishing. And by the way, I’ve got a motion picture I’m developing now, called Icarus, which is a semi-sci-fi kind of thing. Other than the lead actor, it’s all gonna be A.I.”
After Guerrero expressed concern for actors being able find work, as well as for writers and artists who may no longer find it as easy to collaborate on new projects because of A.I., Simmons replied. “I don’t know the answer to that, but you raise an important issue, which is … I’m not sure what the answer is. We’re all gonna have to find out. But to avoid it, you’re gonna be left behind…”
“…and I don’t know what the answer is, but you will not be able to hold the A.I. wall back,” Simmons added. “[Late actor] Val Kilmer, who I knew when he was alive — actually, after me, I think he lived with Cher. At any rate, a great guy who sadly passed away from cancer. Well, there’s a new motion picture coming out. The estate has allowed Val‘s image to be in it. He’s one of the stars of a new movie, but he’s been gone a long time. This is gonna be happening more and more.”