Warren Haynes shares his honest thoughts on AI in music

Warren Haynes has never shied away from pushing himself creatively. From his work with Gov’t Mule to his solo projects, Haynes continues to explore new territory, most recently with The Whisper Sessions, released on September 12. But when it comes to artificial intelligence, the guitar legend approaches with caution.

Speaking on the Blues Rock Show podcast, Haynes admitted that the rapid rise of AI in music feels unsettling. “It’s scary because we’re just now putting our toe in the water,” he said. “Where it’s going to go in the next year, five years, 10 years is going to be crazy.”

While acknowledging that AI can sometimes generate impressive results, Haynes emphasized that what it lacks is exactly what makes music matter: the human spirit. “I’m not enamored with the way you can plug a bunch of information into AI and spit out a song. In some cases, it might be really good, but it’s soulless at the same time. Songs should be written in a way that reflects heartbreak and emotion and growing pains and lessons learned.”

For Haynes, songwriting has always been therapeutic, a process rooted in lived experience. “As a songwriter, writing songs is therapy. It’s a way of dealing with your own issues, emotions, and challenges, and to remove that from the equation just seems pretty bland, to say the least.”

That doesn’t mean he sees no value in the technology. Like many musicians, Haynes remembers the initial resistance to digital recording platforms such as Pro Tools. Over time, tools like that became essential parts of the creative process. “I think any tool has to be used in moderation,” he said. “If you use it as the main approach to your work, you’re just kind of taking the human nature out of it.”

Still, he’s wary of AI. “There’s something about it that feels creepy. But at the same time, from a technological standpoint, it’s a major, major breakthrough, and it is the way of the future.”

For now, Haynes is content to keep AI at a distance, while recognizing its purpose as a tool, saying, “As a tool, AI is fantastic. My hope is that there’s going to be more positive to come from AI than negative. But as with any groundbreaking technology, there’s always going to be a lot of bad shit that comes from it.” (laughs)