ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus is making a musical using AI and has hailed the divisive technology “an extension of your mind”.
The ‘Dancing Queen’ hitmaker was one of 10,500 signatories from the creative industries warning artificial intelligence companies that unlicensed use of their work is a “major, unjust threat” to artists’ livelihoods.
The statement read: “The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.”
Although Ulvaeus is against his work being used without his consent – that doesn’t mean he isn’t a fan of the technology, going as far as to call it a songwriting partner.
Speaking at London’s inaugural SXSW on Wednesday (04.06.25), he said: “It is such a great tool. It is like having another songwriter in the room with a huge reference frame.
“It is really an extension of your mind. You have access to things that you didn’t think of before.”
Explaining how he utilises AI, he added: “You can prompt a lyric you have written about something, and you’re stuck maybe, and you want this song to be in a certain style. “You can ask it, How would you extend? Where would you go from here? It usually comes out with garbage, but sometimes there is something in it that gives you another idea.”
The Swedish pop veteran previously warned that AI must not “exclude the human”.
In a previous interview with BBC Look North, he said: “It’s going to make song-writing different. Whether it’s going to be better, I don’t know but it’s it’s going to affect society as a whole.
“It could lead to spectacular things. On the other hand, we have to be very cautious so that it doesn’t exclude the human songwriter or producer or artist.
“To be heard through the noise you really have to be very, very good. I think that it takes a human hand to add that extra little percentage needed to achieve a really good song.”