Billy Corgan and Diplo are taking opposing sides in the ongoing AI in music debate. Find out what they each have to say below.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman weighed in on the growing prominence of artificial intelligence in the music industry during an appearance on the podcast And the Writer Is…, saying: “I refuse, refuse, patently refuse to use AI in my music creation.”
“To me, it’s a deal with the devil. Simple. Whether it’s the Promethean fire myth or whatever, to me, you’re literally leaning into the thing that will destroy you. Period,” he explained.
Corgan added that “the pressure, the inspiration, the soul searching, the ‘I’m not sure I got anything else to say’” is “all part of the journey that a songwriter needs to go through”.
He continued, “Now, if it was the guy in my band or somebody I met through my friend Shooter Jennings or whatever, and we’re writing songs together, that’s a real person with real feelings and real blood coursing through their veins. And maybe someday we’re gonna argue about a publishing split. But if we’re arguing, it means there’s something of value that we’re arguing over.”
Corgan went on to say that it’s “good” when songwriters have “doubt”, adding: “It’s good that a songwriter’s not sure they have anything left to say, it’s good that a songwriter has to think of a new chord that they haven’t thought of. That’s where the magic comes from, and until that is proven otherwise, I’m sticking with the game I’m in.”
Later, he further elaborated on his “deal with the devil” comment, saying: “We’re flirting with the thing that will destroy us as an economy, as a business, as a movement. We’re asking to be eradicated. We’re giving them our information. They already have all our other information.
“God knows what the labels are doing. Am I gonna get a check someday for 62 cents? Is that coming? But I’m saying, on a spiritual level to lean into it is to ask to be wiped out. You’re asking to be wiped out,” he said.
It’s at odds with recent comments from Diplo, who appeared on the podcast Behind The Wall recently, where he admitted he now uses AI instead of real singers when making new tracks. “I don’t even need a voice any more, I can get the best voice from AI,” he said. “I don’t need anybody to sing the song any more.”
“I’ve had some voices that I’ve made with AI, and I’m like, ‘damn, I couldn’t even get this take out of the best singer,’” he continued. “I wouldn’t have said that to you three months ago, but the way it’s changed in the last three months, the advances are just like ‘…fuck!’”
He went on to say that those not embracing the technology already are doing themselves a disservice. “You’re not going to win, there’s no fighting AI…” he said. “You’re wasting your time [because] everybody else is going to just use it and not give a fuck what you think.”
His comments later sparked criticism, but he doubled down in a post on X, writing: “If you are a creative, you need to adapt or just like give up and become an Uber driver…
“I know it’s not cool or classy to speak like this, but I’m not gonna candy-coat the future. It is what it is. Sorry for bad news, my purists,” he said.
However, he did add that technology still can’t completely replace human creativity, writing: “There will always need a human mind and touch because AI will never suffer from bipolar disorder and autism like me and other creative people.”
if you are a creative you need to adapt or just like give up and become an uber driver until everyone has a waymo. I know it’s not cool or classy to speak like this but i’m not gonna candy coat the future – it is what it is . sorry for bad new’s my purist . there will always need… https://t.co/SXswII51wv
— diplo (@diplo) April 14, 2026
In March, the government announced it would ditch “deeply damaging” plans to allow AI firms to use copyrighted works without permission.
It came after the likes of Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Dua Lipa and Elton John led a campaign urging the government to protect artists’ work from being ripped off, after the government previously put forward controversial plans to change copyright rules to let AI firms “steal” copyrighted works without paying or seeking consent from music creators, writers and artists.
Speaking to NME at the end of last year, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy said that “one size fits all” approach would not work when it comes to AI laws across the arts.
Last year also saw the likes of Damon Albarn, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox join over 1,000 artists in releasing the silent album ‘Is This What We Want?’ to draw attention to the potential impact that artificial intelligence could have on the music industry. “In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?” asked Bush.
A recent survey found that 97 per cent of people “can’t tell the difference” between real and AI music, while most fans have said they want more restrictions on what AI can do.
Apple Music have now introduced a feature that will let you know if you’re listening to music made with AI, while Deezer revealed that 28 per cent of music uploaded to the platform is fully AI-generated.
The AI-generated artist Xania Monet also made headlines last year after signing a multimillion-dollar record deal and becoming the first AI artist to chart on the US Billboard rankings. The poet and designer behind the project said she saw Monet as “a real person” who is “challenging the norm”.
In September, Cardiff rock group Holding Absence hit out at an AI ‘band’ which had overtaken their streaming figures on Spotify. Frontman Lucas Woodland wrote: “So, an AI ‘band’ who cite us as an influence (ie, it’s modelled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months.”
The vocalist continued: “It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting – most importantly – it’s a wake up call.”
