The Offspring Says AI Is ‘Here to Stay’—and That’s Not a Problem

The conversation around the use of AI in music has been quite divisive over the past few years, but some artists are more comfortable than others at choosing to embrace the new reality. The guys in The Offspring fall into this category.

During a recent interview, singer Bryan “Dexter” Holland and guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman addressed the notion of artificial intelligence in music, saying they would “maybe” utilize it in their own song production “to change a sound,” if need be.

“I think [AI] is here to stay,” Holland told France’s Oüi FM, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. “I understand that it’s very confusing and scary. And it gives people anxiety. And the technology of it’s getting better where you [go], ‘Is that person really saying what I think they’re saying or is that just a projection or something that’s not real?”

“So that stuff we’re all gonna have to sort through, but I think it is here to stay,” Holland continued. “And I think it will end up being like other kinds of technology where people can use it for good or they can use it for evil, and we’re gonna have to sort that out.”

Holland was then asked if he thinks The Offspring would ever utilize AI in their own music or during a concert, to which he laughingly replied, “Oooh. Maybe I don’t have to be there. I could be at home watching TV.”

Offering his thoughts on the matter, Noodles said, “Well, if we did, we would only use it to change a sound, which really… I mean, we have different guitar sounds, chorus pedals, things like that, that change the sound of things. So I think it would just be for that.”

“And in that regard, I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Noodles continued. “When kids are using it to write term papers or bands are using it to try to write their own music… First of all, I think it’s gonna fall flat. I don’t think you’re gonna do well with that.

“I love what Joe Walsh of JAMES GANG and THE EAGLES said about it,” Noodles went on to add. “He said he’s not worried about AI. AI can’t throw a television set out of a hotel window. AI is not getting laid. Until AI can do that stuff, it’s not a problem, yeah.”