Shibani Kashyap Says AI Should Be Used as an Assistant, Not Seen as a Threat to Music

MUMBAI, India — Singer Shibani Kashyap says artificial intelligence should not be viewed as a threat to the music industry, arguing that it can be useful as a support tool but cannot replace human emotion or creativity.

In an interview with IANS, Kashyap said listeners can still tell the difference between an AI-generated voice and a real artist.

“So I don’t think we should take it as a threat. At the end of the day you might listen to an AI created voice once or twice, but it is not a living person that is just a voice which has been created out of AI, and one can easily make out the difference,” she said.

Kashyap said AI can be helpful if artists use it as an assistant rather than allowing it to take over the creative process.

“But yes, AI can be a very good support system. It can be a very good assistant. Use it as an assistant. This is exactly what we even discussed during the AI impact summit – that we should use AI for our own benefit, not that we let it take over and become a threat to us,” she added.

Her comments come amid growing debate over AI’s role in music, including the use of synthetic vocals, voice cloning and questions over ownership rights.

Sufi singer Mujtaba Aziz Naza recently expressed a similar view, saying AI may be useful but cannot reproduce the emotional and spiritual depth of human-made music.

“AI is helpful in many ways, but it cannot replicate the soul of music. Music is deeply emotional and spiritual. AI operates within limitations, while human creativity is boundless. There are certain feelings and inspirations that only a human mind can create,” Naza told IANS.

Naza also said artists should have rights over the use of their voices if AI tools are used to clone or reproduce them.

“It’s only fair. This is something the industry needs to address seriously,” he said. (Source: IANS)