--- title: "Ice Cube Says AI Is “Demonic”" description: "During a recent interview, rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube pulled no punches while trashing the use of AI in music." date: "2023-05-23" modified: "2023-08-04" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ice-cube-ai-demonic" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai music" - "music industry" - "the digest" --- # Ice Cube Says AI Is “Demonic” ![During a recent interview, rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube pulled no punches while trashing the use of AI in music.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## That's Terrible During a recent interview, rapper-turned-actor O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson Sr. pulled no punches while trashing the use of artificial intelligence in music. "I think AI is demonic," the NWA star [told the Full Send podcast]() during a recent episode. "I think AI is gonna get a backlash from real people, real authentic people." Ice Cube specifically called out the controversial and viral track called "heart on my sleeve," which made use of AI-generated vocals imitating the voices of Aubrey "Drake" Graham and Abel Makkonen "the Weeknd" Tesfaye. "I think that's terrible," Ice Cube said. "I don't wanna hear that bullshit. \[Drake\] should sue whoever made it." While Drake has yet to comment on the song himself, his record label [Universal Music Group]() most certainly has, [telling *Billboard* in a statement]() that the song — which has since been [removed]() from streaming services at the label's request — amounts to copyright infringement. Drake also called out another track that cloned the voice of his protegée Isis Naija "Ice Spice" Gaston last month. "This is the last straw," Drake [wrote in an Instagram story]() at the time, referring to the song. ## Sound Off Even as some artists like Claire "Grimes" Boucher [have chosen to embrace]() the use of AI in music, others are using their platforms to trash the practice. Earlier this month, rapper Robert Rihmeek "Meek Mill" Williams rightfully issued a "[WTF]()" after someone used an AI to [clone his late father's voice](). "I died in a shootout, just tryin’ to feed my fam," the AI-generated version of Mill's father Robert Parker raps on the track. "But death couldn’t stop me, I’m back in the lab." Whether hearing an AI mimic your voice or, even more disrespectfully, using your dead parent's voice without anyone's consent, it's not surprising that artists are coming out against generative AI — but until the music industry [begins adopting effective regulations]() against the practice, as some have argued, we'll likely see more examples of AI-generated songs making their rounds online in the future. More on freaky AI: [*AI Company Says It'll Perform a Seance on Your Dead Loved Ones*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()