Will.i.am Explains Why You Shouldn’t Fear AI
Music February 19, 2024
When it comes to his music or any of his creative endeavors, will.i.am always has his sights set to the future.
The music artist and innovator stopped by Monday’s episode of “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to discuss two AI-powered entertainment initiatives that will change the way people live and drive.
First, the Black Eyed Peas member wanted to calm people’s fears about the rise in artificial intelligence.
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View Story“It’s not the AI they should be afraid of or concerned with, it’s the business practices by the companies that deploy AI,” will.i.am explained to Jennifer Hudson. “It’s the business practice that’s bad, not the technology.”
When it comes to his own pursuits using AI in his creative projects, he assured Jennifer, “We want to encourage people, inform them, empower them with their data — we don’t take your data, we don’t steal your data.”
The first of will.i.am’s latest projects, FYI.Ai, is a creative collaboration tool that allows people to manage their digital assets with the help of artificial intelligence.
“Will.i.am Presents the FYI Show,” launched on Sirius XM radio in late January as the world’s first-ever radio show with an artificial intelligence co-host.
The Black Eyed Peas artist has an AI co-host for the show, and they cover current and historical events, music, and pop culture, deep-diving and bantering on any topic with guests that have so far included Rick Ross, Xzibit, and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
The music artist also discussed his latest project with Mercedes, Sound Drive, which raises the Mercedes-AMG in-car entertainment experience to an even higher level.
With Sound Drive, your car can create music in real-time — whether you’re accelerating, braking, energy recuperating, or shifting your steering angle.
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View Story“We take the sensors from the car [and] allow the driver to create, rearrange, and make music just by simply driving,” he explained to Jennifer.
“We should be able to make music just by driving… [and] have this immersive, interactive experience and a new relationship with music,” said will.i.am.
The musician shared that this collaboration has now opened up his musical ambitions. “Now that I have Sound Drive… you get to score scenic routes, coastal journeys, city journeys,” he said. “So instead of just making music for Spotify or Apple Music or YouTube, you can make music for commutes and scoring journeys. Scoring London is different than scoring New York.”
MBUX Sound Drive is available from mid-2024 for Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with the second-generation MBUX.
Will.i.am told Jennifer that he’s been trying to push his creative efforts to the next level since childhood. “I’ve always been putting puzzles together, pattern matching, super curious, using my imagination to the fullest,” he said.
“What an imagination you have!’ exclaimed Jennifer. We couldn’t agree more!
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” airs weekdays. Here’s when to watch in your area.
