Will.i.am dropped a warning that should make every musician nervous.
The Black Eyed Peas founder told reporters at the 2026 Grammy red carpet that robotic artists will be walking these same carpets within 10 years.
“There’s only humans here right now,” Will said during his Grammy interview. “And so by the end of the decade, there will be agents here, maybe like robotic artists here.”
The tech-focused rapper painted a picture that sounds like science fiction but feels uncomfortably close to reality. He wants people to “absorb the human era of creativity” before machines take over completely.
Will’s prediction comes as AI music tools explode across the industry. Over 60% of musicians now use artificial intelligence for composition and editing. The music industry is already feeling the pressure.
Revenue from AI-generated music could exceed $6 billion by 2025. Some experts predict that AI will account for 50% of the music market by 2030.
But Will sees something darker coming. He talked about a “splinter” between human music and AI creations. The question is whether people will still value what humans create when machines can pump out perfect songs in seconds.
“We’re going to see the splinter of obvious organic human music that I hope that we appreciate more than we actually do now,” Will explained. “And then like awesome AI music.”
The warning gets more unsettling when you look at what’s already happening. AI platforms like Suno and Udio let anyone create studio-quality tracks without musical training.
Will has been building AI technology since 2012 through his company FYI.AI. He recently launched FYI RAiDiO, which lets users chat with AI about songs they’re hearing. Mercedes-Benz is testing the technology in its cars.
“I make music because of the computer and AI is just a computer but a billion-fold,” Will told Newsweek earlier this year. He sees AI as “the ultimate way to create.”
But his Grammy comments suggest he’s worried about what he helped create. Will urged people to “get ourselves together and be more loving, more empathetic” before AI divides us further.
“The algorithm is dividing us in ways that we don’t realize,” he said. “It’s the ghost in the machine that we need to pay attention to.”
Human artists are scrambling to figure out how to compete with machines that never tire, never demand royalties, and never suffer from creative blocks.
Will’s vision of robotic red carpet walkers might sound extreme. But when you consider that AI can already clone voices, write lyrics, and compose melodies, physical robots performing at award shows doesn’t seem that far-fetched.
Will ended his red carpet interview with a plea for human connection.
“Let’s take notice to this human moment,” he said. “Hopefully it inspires better human-to-human collaboration.”
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