Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda addressed his shifting views on artificial intelligence during a recent discussion on Discord. The musician had previously voiced support for AI music startup Authentic Artists. He revealed he has grown increasingly skeptical of the technology after experimenting with various AI tools.
Shinoda responded to fans’ questions about AI during a Q&A on Discord. He explained how his perspective has evolved and what role, if any, AI now plays in his life and work.
“On a slightly more serious note — I played with different AI things for a little while to see what I thought,” Shinoda said. “These days, I’m not a big fan.”
“The only time I really use it any more is looking up things to do in a city, or doing some research on a subject,” he continued.
“But in the bigger picture, the news about those companies is very disturbing,” Shinoda added. “It’s nuanced, but I’m personally more skeptical than ever on it.”
Shinoda’s remarks mark a striking reversal from a position he held just a few years earlier. At the time, he was among the earliest and most vocal champions of AI-generated music in the industry.
In 2021, Shinoda was named as one of Authentic Artists’ investors and advisers. At the time, he described the startup as a way to evolve the relationship between music and its audiences. He embraced the idea that AI could open new creative possibilities rather than threaten them.
Authentic Artists has said its music platform was built in collaboration with a roster of Grammy-winning artists, including Shinoda and Young Guru. The company positions the technology as a tool developed alongside established musicians rather than one designed to replace them.
Shinoda’s enthusiasm at the time went beyond a simple investment. He spoke about the company’s capabilities and said, “AI for example is already writing compelling music. I’m working with a company called Authentic Artists making spectacular virtual artists where the music gets made from scratch in real-time. The songs it’s outputting, generated in seconds, already sound like something it took a human weeks or months to write.”
That kind of unqualified praise stands in sharp contrast to his current skepticism. It underscores how much his outlook has changed as the broader AI industry has developed since 2021. The shift mirrors a broader trend in the music world, where artists who once embraced generative tools are now reassessing their views amid mounting concerns about the companies behind them.
