Can AI replace musicians on stage?

As artificial intelligence continues to rapidly advance, there is a growing concern that it may eventually replace human musicians on stage. Similarly, Dev Raiyani, an Indian hip-hop artiste and digital content creator, argues that AI can never replace musicians: “I have a personal connection with the musicians I love. “But then again, we are living in a world where ‘being fair’ is far from the picture,” he says, adding, “I don’t know where we will be in 10 years; I just know music will live on, far from the boundaries of artificially intelligent life.” Vineet Singh Hukmani, a chart-topping artiste, emphasises that “music is not just about sounds and beats, but also about emotion and chemistry between musicians and the audience”. While some musicians like Rohan Solomon and Aditya Mohanan acknowledge the potential of AI to help musicians create “more complex and innovative sounds”, they ultimately believe that it “cannot replace the raw emotion and spontaneity of live performances”. AI cannot replicate that.” Yashraj Mukhate, music producer and digital content creator, too agrees that while AI may help artistes generate better ideas, it cannot replace the human touch needed to create live music.