With the influx of music generated by artificial intelligence (AI), Nigerian singer Ric Hassani has expressed fears about the future of music.

According to him, music used to be governed by what people felt. Sharing on X, he lamented that everyone is now trying to please the algorithm to the point that it feels like a sport, more than an expression.

“We used to make the sound of music from inspiration and years of experience and devotion to the practise. Today? People can make music from a putting a sentence in a software. Yes, it is a ‘tool ‘, but what does this tool mean for those who have spent years in the practice? If music becomes this easily created, what then makes artistes or singers, musicians special? Genuinely curious and not in a good way, about what all this means,” Ric Hassani wrote.

The singer recalled the first time he saw legendary boy band StylPlus sing, describing the experience as magic and emphasising that such creation required artistry. According to him, such artistes sat for hours recording, creating, layering music, mixing, mastering, and balancing.

“Technology and AI are here. Since music is easier to create and access now, the ‘value’ of an artiste is shifting more away from the art the artiste can actually make, and is shifting to the level of ‘Celebrity’ that the Artiste can be.

“I worry a lot, but I just hope we artistes and singers remain valuable regardless of wherever technology wants to go/reach,” he said.