"Maybe this is the time to realise WE ACTUALLY DON'T NEED AI," Brian May declared when posting a ridiculously poor version of what AI thinks one of Queen's albums looks like. He has urged UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to block AI "before it's too late".
Queen guitarist Brian May used a flawed Meta AI album cover to demand UK PM Burnham block data center buildout, citing environmental destruction. Artist backlash against compute infrastructure signals regulatory friction for data center capex strategies.
Published on
12/08/2026 - 16:58 GMT+2
Queen guitarist Brian May has taken to Instagram to post an AI-generated version of the artwork of the band’s classic 1980 album ‘The Game’.
May used Meta AI to make the cover, which resurrects late frontman Freddie Mercury. He did so in order to make a “very serious” point about the environmental impact of AI to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
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‘Maybe this is the time to realise WE ACTUALLY DON'T NEED AI,’ angry musician declared
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The 79-year-old also questioned the cost of the technology on the UK.
For the first time in the UK, a dedicated AI minister will have a seat at the cabinet table under new PM, Andy Burnham.
Reports suggest the soon-to-be prime minister is sceptical of recent approaches to data centres and driverless vehicles.
Burnham has been warned that breaking up the government department behind Britain’s AI strategy could unsettle global investors
