Fender’s CEO, Edward “Bud” Cole, has stirred up controversy by comparing bandmates to analog AI. In an interview with T3 celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Telecaster, Cole argued that cover songs and bandmates are akin to ‘analog AI’ because they help musicians learn and grow.
He believes that while learning guitar takes a long time, writing songs is where AI could step in. By learning from covers, he says, you’re essentially training like an AI would with vast datasets of music.
This comparison has angered many guitarists who see it as dismissing their artistry and creativity. Scale matters – no human can learn the millions of songs used to train generative AI models, nor can they replicate the unique decisions artists make during songwriting.
The idea that AI will help aspiring musicians “cross the chasm” into master songwriters is misguided. Relying on AI for rhymes or metaphors isn’t the same as writing 10,000 bad songs to find one good one. Repetition and hard work are key.
