Roger Daltrey Predicts One Thing That Will Lead to AI’s Downfall

Roger Daltrey won’t get fooled again by artificial intelligence, and he recently identified the “one thing” he believes will lead to its downfall.

“The one thing I totally believe AI will never have, and it will be its downfall — it will never have empathy,” the Who singer said on Shaun Keaveny’s Daily Grind podcast. “It’s gonna destroy the music industry if we’re not careful, if we go on not demanding music to say a little more than it is.”

On the other hand, Daltrey said, humans — particularly artists — will be in big trouble if AI ever does develop empathy. “Music is a different language, and we shouldn’t let AI control that,” he continued. “That will always contain empathy, and AI can’t do that. I won’t ever believe [that]. If AI can ever do empathy, then we are [fucked].”

READ MORE: Roger Daltrey on the Who: ‘That Part of My Life Is Over’

Roger Daltrey’s Issue With the Technological Revolution

Although AI is a relatively new phenomenon, its rise — and its proponents’ desire to force it on people — look familiar to Daltrey. “This is my issue with the whole technological revolution,” he told Keaveny. “They will tell you, when they sold the CDs, because your vinyl was crap, ‘This music sounds better.’ You say, ‘Well, actually, I don’t think it does.’ They say, ‘Well, it must. It’s cleaner. There’s no scratches. There’s no this, there’s no this, there’s no that.’ And you say, ‘But there’s something missing.’ And they say, ‘Well, there can’t be. The way it’s structured, it’s all ones and zeroes, ones and zeroes. And there’s nothing in between the one and the zero.’ Well, I’ve got to tell you: They’re wrong. They just haven’t found it.”