OPM band The Juans shared their honest take on the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music, acknowledging both its challenges and potential for artists.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, band member Carl Guevarra admitted that while the rise of AI-generated songs can be frustrating for musicians, he believes it ultimately comes down to what their listeners choose.
“Alam kong frustrating na iyong nasa top ng charts ay (made by) Artificial Intelligence, and marami na ring artists who have spoken up about this. But ako, realistically speaking, we cannot really dictate to people what they should or should not listen to,” Carl expressed.
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He added, “At the end of the day, when people are holding their phones, when people are interacting on social media, they will watch, they will listen to whatever they want, regardless of what you say, and I feel like it's not efficient for me to just complain. Rather, I would be the voice of encouragement to my fellow artists that there are AI tools that will help us become better songwriters and better musicians.”
Instead of resisting the shift in the industry, Carl encouraged fellow artists to see AI as a tool that can enhance their craft. He maintained that AI should serve as an aid and not be seen as a replacement for artists and their creativity.
“AI is not meant to replace us. It's created to assist us so that we can focus on what matters most: creating music,” he said.
“Yung nangyayari ngayon sa music industry, I want to take it as a challenge for songwriters like us to create music that will deeply connect to the souls of people, because the human experience, the human soul — that is something that AI cannot replicate. I feel like it's time for us to rise up to create songs that will connect to people, because at the end of the day, people will resonate to what they can connect with,” he continued.
For Carl, the rise of AI also presents a challenge for artists to create more meaningful and emotionally relevant works that AI cannot replicate.
“I believe that there will come a time where AI will be like a car, where you will have no choice but to adapt to it. So, I want to encourage everybody to figure out a way to use this to our advantage,” he expressed.
Looking at the bigger picture, Carl said the rise of AI is no different from past technological advancements.
“If we look all throughout history, when it comes to technology, there's always attention. Because technology is meant to make our lives easier. But at the same time, it can be a threat to an industry, a threat to someone's livelihood, right? So there's always that attention. But if you look at the history, tayong mga humans were able to survive this attention by simply adapting to the change of times. Now that AI is here, it's no different from, say, how the printing press came to life. From dati na kinokopya ‘yung libro ng sulat kamay. Noong printing press, it became a revolution, and right now, the emergence of AI in our time is no different from that,” he explained. “When you complain about AI, it's like complaining about cars while riding a horse.”
For him, the key is learning how to use the technology effectively especially for younger generations.
“Kami bilang artists at ang mga listeners namin ay estudyante, maybe millennials in the workspace, I wanna make a stance that (it) will be helpful to them and that is to encourage them to adapt in the situation. I feel like I will make good use of this platform by telling students to learn AI tools, to learn their way around AI in such a way that AI will be an advantage to them. Because I believe that, in this time of globalization, we will be able to rise up if we are able to use AI to our advantage,” he said.
Bandmate Japs Mendoza echoed the same sentiment, stressing that authenticity should always come from the artist.
“As an artist, for me, ‘yung AI ay a tool siya para mapadali ‘yung buhay mo. And as an artist, sana ‘yung stories,’ yung direction, sana sa'tin pa rin manggaling. Kasi gaya ng anong sinabi Carl, ‘yung human experience, ‘yung authenticity, sa ngayon, ‘di pa siya mare-replicate ng AI, pero sana, magalingan natin sa art,” Japs said.
He also raised concerns about the misuse of AI, particularly when it comes to intellectual properties of the artists.
“It's also high time to actually call on our legal system to find laws to protect intellectual property. Dahil bago ‘yung AI, kahit naman sa ibang bansa, people are figuring out a way to regulate the use, na hindi siya ma-abuse. So, I hope for the call to rally for us to have better laws that will protect our intellectual property and so that AI will be a tool and it will not be a replacement,” he added.
READ: SB19’s Pablo urges protection of artists’ rights on AI use in the music industry
In the past months, several artists have spoken out about the increasing use of AI in music, especially as some AI-generated tracks have gone viral or used existing works without permission. Among those calling for stronger safeguards are SB19’s Pablo, Maki, TJ Monterde, Adie, and Jonathan Manalo.