While the music industry continues to debate the ethical and creative implications of Artificial Intelligence, Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde is taking a more relaxed—yet principled—stance. During a Q&A session at HMV on Oxford Street in London on January 28, the guitarist shared his thoughts on AI-generated music, arguing that while the technology is “fine” for entertainment, it ultimately lacks the unique creative spark of human legends.
Addressing the crowd, Wylde compared asking an AI to write a song to a group of friends trying to mimic a band’s style. However, he emphasized that no algorithm can replicate the specific artistic choices made by individuals like Ozzy Osbourne or the late Abbott brothers.
“A.I. is fine,” Wylde told the audience. “It would almost kind of be like if me and you were sitting around going, ‘Hey, guys, can you write a song you think Black Sabbath would write?’ So it’s no different than that. But you’re never gonna be able to replace what is coming out of Ozzy‘s mind, what’s coming out of Tony Iommi‘s mind, what Geezer‘s thinking when he’s gonna write lyrics, and how Bill‘s gonna approach the drums on a riff, what kind of drum beat he’s gonna play.”
He continued, applying the same logic to Pantera and Elton John:
“‘Cause when you get a record from whatever your favorite artist or your favorite band [is], you’re getting a piece of them. So you can’t ever replace that. It’s just like saying you’re gonna write A.I. Pantera. You can’t replace what was going on in Dime‘s mind and what Vinnie‘s gonna play. Pantera is those four guys — so it’s Philip, Rex, Dime and Vinnie. And that’s that. I mean, that’s Pantera. So, just like any other band is… That’s who it is. You can’t replace what’s coming out of Elton John‘s mind, what he wants to sit down and play on a piano and what Bernie Taupin‘s gonna write lyrically. That’s the beauty of the human element of music.”
While protective of the “real thing,” Wylde admitted he isn’t entirely opposed to the technology, noting that he enjoys the novelty of AI-generated mashups. He recalled sharing a digital fusion of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath with Osbourne himself.
“But, I mean, A.I. is fine,” Wylde conceded. “It’s fun, in regards, though, if it’s gonna write something that sounds like what Led Zeppelin would write or what Black Sabbath would write. And it’s just, like, ‘Oh, wow. This came out pretty cool.’ I mean, with Black Label, we always start with the Zeppelin-Sabbath mashup. And I think it’s great. I remember when Ozzy heard it the first time, he was, like, ‘Oh my god. Zakk, have you heard this thing?’ I’m, like, ‘Yeah, I think it’s great.’ It’s ‘Whole Lotta Love‘, and then you stick in Ozzy singing ‘War Pigs‘ over the riff, and then Robert Plant comes in on the solo. I’m, like, ‘Dude, this is the coolest thing ever.’ So, it’s having fun with it. But you’re never gonna replace Ozzy coming up with that melody, Tony coming up with that music, and Geezer coming up with those lyrics. And then ‘Whole Lotta Love‘, Jimmy Page playing that riff and then Robert Plant singing the ‘Whole Lotta Love‘ scream over the top of it. ‘Cause that’s the real thing. You can never replace the real thing.”
Ever the joker, Wylde closed his thoughts on replacement with a self-deprecating quip about his marriage:
“My wife has no problem replacing me with various other people and things, but as long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
