In an industry increasingly disrupted by artificial intelligence, multi-platinum rock outfit Shinedown is standing firmly on the side of traditional human authorship. Speaking in an interview with Primordial Radio (as transcribed by Blabbermouth.net), guitarist Zach Myers delivered an uncompromising critique of musicians utilizing AI models to construct melodies, harmonies, and lyrical arrangements.
While technological tools continue to proliferate across recording spaces globally, Myers made it clear that outsourcing the emotional core of songwriting to an algorithm is something he refuses to entertain.
The Boundary Between Curiosity and Creativity
Myers clarified that his objection isn’t born from a total rejection of modern tech, but rather from a profound respect for the creative boundary. He openly acknowledged utilizing generative text models for basic day-to-day inquiries, yet fiercely protects the sanctity of the songwriting process.
“I ask ChatGPT a million questions a day. It’s not ‘how to write a song’ or ‘write a song with me.’ That’s awful. I’m not writing with artificial intelligence. Don’t use A.I. to do your work for you.” — Zach Myers
For Myers, the problem lies in bypassing the legitimate work, grit, and emotional transparency required to forge a true musical connection with an audience.
24 Number Ones Powered by Humans
To back up his anti-AI philosophy, Myers pointed directly to Shinedown’s staggering commercial track record. Over their multi-decade career, the band has established themselves as one of the most dominant forces in Billboard Mainstream Rock history, a feat accomplished entirely through organic means.
“We got 24 Number Ones without using a computer.” — Zach Myers
The guitarist’s commentary hits on a growing sentiment among legacy rock and metal musicians who feel that the statistical predictability of machine-learned music threatens to strip the genre of its defining characteristic: authentic, flawed human feeling.
Shinedown’s Unified Stance: The Making of Ei8ht
Myers’ strong statements align seamlessly with a broader studio mandate enforced across the entire Shinedown camp. The band’s fiercely anti-synthetic outlook was heavily echoed just last month by frontman Brent Smith.
Discussing the production cycle of Shinedown’s highly anticipated eighth studio album, tentatively titled Ei8ht, Smith explicitly promised fans that the record is completely pure. He confirmed to Blabbermouth that absolutely “no A.I. was used in the making of” the upcoming record, cementing the band’s joint commitment to preservation over automation.
As the music community continues to debate licensing rights, statistical distributions, and copyrights, Shinedown is choosing to let their strictly human-built catalog do the talking.
