Mike Sabath isn’t interested in cutting corners. The 28-year-old has been in music for a long time, both as an artist as well as a producer-songwriter with an extensive list of collaborators throughout his career. He primarily works with British singers Raye and Jade, but he’s also manned the boards for Niall Horan, Shawn Mendes, Zara Larsson, Sabrina Carpenter, and more over the past decade. AI tools aren’t part of that process. “I don’t use AI in my rooms, and I haven’t worked with people that do yet, to be honest,” Sabath tells Rolling Stone. However, it’s top of mind outside of the studio, where he’s frequently having conversations with artists and industry executives about the urgency around the growing technology.
Sabath gets chills when he thinks of artists like Raye, with whom he’s worked since her 2023 debut My 21st Century Blues, and Rosalía, who he’s long admired. He qualifies both as masters of their craft — and hopes people consider artists like them when conversation turns to AI and what it’s threatening to replace. “The art of mastery in general has continued to be diluted over the years, and technology is a huge part of that,” Sabath says.
While artists are focusing on sharpening their skills and expanding their reach, their releases are being used to train models that replicate the output of real musicians quicker than performers can safeguard their intellectual property. Discussions like the ones Sabath has been having are now spilling into public forums and across social media as artists like SZA, Doja Cat, Kenny Beats, and more voice their frustration.
