ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus Discusses AI’s Potential in Music

Björn Ulvaeus, a legendary member of ABBA, recently shared his thoughts on the remarkable potential of AI in the music industry during an interview with Rick Beato. Ulvaeus expressed his amazement at a recent AI model demonstration by a prominent tech company, describing it as “mind-boggling” and suggesting that what has been seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

Despite his excitement about AI’s capabilities, Ulvaeus recognized the need for creators to adopt a dual approach, being both “defensive and offensive” when dealing with AI. He emphasized that AI can be a remarkable co-writer for musicians, opening up new creative possibilities. However, he also acknowledged the importance of ensuring that creators are fairly compensated for their work when AI models are trained on their music.

Ulvaeus raised questions about whether artists would have the option to prevent their music from being used to train AI models. He pointed out that it might be challenging to identify whether a model has been trained on specific music. During the demonstration he witnessed, AI generated an ABBA-like melody that was indistinguishable from the work of Benny and himself when sung by someone else.

In the end, Ulvaeus expressed hope that major tech companies would choose to support creators and ensure fair compensation rather than working against their interests.