Zakk Wylde clarifies stance on Artificial Intelligence: “Fine”
Zakk Wylde clarifies stance on Artificial Intelligence: “Fine”
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/zakk-wylde-clarifies-stance-artificial-intelligence/
Publish Date: 2026-02-08 11:50:00
Source Domain: faroutmagazine.co.uk
(Credit: Metal Chris)
Sun 8 February 2026 16:50, UK
Zakk Wylde has clarified where he stands on the use of Artificial Intelligence in music, suggesting that experimentation is fine, but it will “never replace the real thing.”
Wylde, Ozzy Osbourne’s longtime guitarist and close friend and the leader of Black Label Society, took part in a question-and-answer session at the HMV on Oxford Street, London, when he was asked to explain his stance on Artificial Intelligence.
As per Blabbermouth, the musician began, “AI is fine. It would almost kind of be like if me and you were sitting around going, ‘Hey, guys, can you write a song you think Black Sabbath would write?’ So it’s no different than that.”
Running with the Black Sabbath example, he expanded, “But you’re never gonna be able to replace what is coming out of Ozzy’s mind, what’s coming out of Tony Iommi’s mind, what Geezer [Butler’s] thinking when he’s gonna write lyrics, and how Bill’s [Ward’s] gonna approach the drums on a riff, what kind of drum beat he’s gonna play.”
Translating this into the value of human creativity, he went on, “‘Cause when you get a record from whatever your favorite artist or your favorite band [is], you’re getting a piece of them. So you can’t ever replace that.”
Running through another hypothetical of creating AI Pantera music, he also added, “You can’t replace what’s coming out of Elton John’s mind, what he wants to sit down and play on a piano and what Bernie Taupin’s gonna write lyrically. That’s the beauty of the human element of music.”
The creative process, Wylde insisted to the crowd of fans, is “the real thing. You can never replace the real thing.” Finishing comedically, Wylde quipped: “My wife has no problem replacing me with various other people and things, but as long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
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