The legendary Grammy Award-winning super producer Jimmy Jam has shared his thoughts on a topic that’s being discussed daily in the music industry and in everyday life: artificial intelligence. In an exclusive discussion with The Root, he expresses his concerns and thoughts about the technology that is going nowhere, as its controversial use has sparked much-needed conversation about its inclusion in musical compositions.
James Samuel Harris III, known worldwide to music enthusiasts as Jimmy Jam, is a musician, music advocate, songwriter, producer, and longtime composer and producing partner with Terry Lewis. They have produced hits for the likes of Janet Jackson, The Human League, Mariah Carey, and Usher, and their list of collaborators includes so many superstars that the duo has more than 40 songs in the Top 10 on the coveted Billboard Hot 100 over the years. The two are working on their next project, a follow-up to their 2021 compilation album, “Jam & Lewis: Volume One.”
As Jimmy prepares to hit New York for his latest “Jams and Conversation” series, following a successful Las Vegas residency, he acknowledges that A.I. can be used, but only in certain circumstances.
He feels that the problem with AI isn’t the technology itself, but that “It needs to be regulated.”
“AI as a technology is a wonderful technology. I think it’s going to help to cure cancer. I think it’s going to be used in all kinds of different medical ways. But when it comes to the creative community, I think there’s two elements. I think it’s the permission and the compensation. I don’t think it’s right to take other people’s images and other people’s voices without their permission.”
He then compares AI to sampling music. The controversy with the practice initially was that people were using music without permission. But, with the proper approach, getting the okay from the artist and/or the record label, righted that wrong, and it became standard practice (of course, with the threats of lawsuits). Obtaining the right compensation structure and credit eased the complications of using an artist’s intellectual property. The same theory should apply to people who use AI in their music.
Jimmy also wants transparency if AI is being used in music.
“I also think you have to identify it. If you’re going to use it, then there should be an AI sticker, or there should be something that people know what it is that they’re listening to. So, the idea is that you’re not trying to fool anybody. You’re basically saying, ‘Yes, we’re using this technology to make something.’
Yet another advantage of using AI is the ability to recreate something that can’t be done because the creator is no longer alive. Using the example of the duet produced for Natalie Cole’s reimagining with her deceased father, Nat King Cole, when a recorded version of his classic 1951 song, “Unforgettable,” was redone in 1991, adding his vocals to her rendition.
“If you remember back in the day, when it was Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole did the unforgettable duet together using Nat’s voice along with Natalie’s voice and re-recording it. Technologically, you couldn’t do those kinds of things, but when it happened, it was very well-received, and it made something that would have never happened.”
He ended by saying, “AI overall is a good thing. The problem with it is when it’s unregulated, and that’s where we need the government, and we need some guidelines so that it gets used in the right way.”
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