Will.i.am has a message for creatives who want to harness the power of AI: "Throw your imagination on full f—king blast" and don't just rely on technology to replicate what you've done before.
The seven-time Grammy winner and professor-in-the-making made this declaration during an informative panel discussion hosted by the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), Universal Music Group, and Billboard. The event, held at Will.i.am's FYI campus in Los Angeles, brought together executives and creatives to discuss the benefits and challenges of AI in music.
According to Will.i.am, AI can be a game-changer for creativity, but it shouldn't replace human imagination. "AI does not have imagination," he said. "It's a regurgitation of imagination." To stay ahead of the curve, creatives need to push their imagination to new heights and avoid repetition.
The panel discussion also featured stability AI's Prem Akkaraju, Songwriters of North America executive Erin McAnally, Splice's Kakul Srivastava, Sound Labs executive and artist BT, KLAY Vision's Ary Attie, NVIDIA's Shari Reich, and Udio's Andrew Sanchez. Moderated by UMG executive vp and chief digital officer Michael Nash, the conversation highlighted the potential for collaboration between AI and artists.
"We're having this discussion now," said Nash, "and there is an opportunity for a collaboration to take place that's going to align the future of AI-driven innovation with the interests of the artist community."
BMAC co-founder and president/CEO Willie "Prophet" Stiggers echoed these sentiments, stating that innovation should expand opportunities rather than erase them. The organization is proud to partner with Universal Music Group on this groundbreaking event.
The evening also saw the hosting of BMAC's annual Music Maker Dinner in association with producer icons Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis at West Hollywood's Sun Rose Room. Industry executives joined fellow BMAC co-founders Shawn Holiday, Caron Veazey, and Damien Smith, including ASCAP president Paul Williams, Def Jam Recordings CEO Tunji Balogun, Victoria Monet, Jon Batiste, Adam Blackstone, B2K, Flavor Flav, Amazon's global head of music industry and culture collaborations Phylicia Fant, and Interscope Geffen A&M's president/head of urban A&R Nicole Wyskoarko.
BMAC also presented its inaugural Music Maker Impact Award to founder/CEO Jonathan Azu of Culture Collective. The winners of the 2026 BMAC x ASCAP x Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Music Maker Grant were announced: Ripton Powell from Atlanta and Sam Paulino from Burlington, Vt.
The seven-time Grammy winner and professor-in-the-making made this declaration during an informative panel discussion hosted by the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), Universal Music Group, and Billboard. The event, held at Will.i.am's FYI campus in Los Angeles, brought together executives and creatives to discuss the benefits and challenges of AI in music.
According to Will.i.am, AI can be a game-changer for creativity, but it shouldn't replace human imagination. "AI does not have imagination," he said. "It's a regurgitation of imagination." To stay ahead of the curve, creatives need to push their imagination to new heights and avoid repetition.
The panel discussion also featured stability AI's Prem Akkaraju, Songwriters of North America executive Erin McAnally, Splice's Kakul Srivastava, Sound Labs executive and artist BT, KLAY Vision's Ary Attie, NVIDIA's Shari Reich, and Udio's Andrew Sanchez. Moderated by UMG executive vp and chief digital officer Michael Nash, the conversation highlighted the potential for collaboration between AI and artists.
"We're having this discussion now," said Nash, "and there is an opportunity for a collaboration to take place that's going to align the future of AI-driven innovation with the interests of the artist community."
BMAC co-founder and president/CEO Willie "Prophet" Stiggers echoed these sentiments, stating that innovation should expand opportunities rather than erase them. The organization is proud to partner with Universal Music Group on this groundbreaking event.
The evening also saw the hosting of BMAC's annual Music Maker Dinner in association with producer icons Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis at West Hollywood's Sun Rose Room. Industry executives joined fellow BMAC co-founders Shawn Holiday, Caron Veazey, and Damien Smith, including ASCAP president Paul Williams, Def Jam Recordings CEO Tunji Balogun, Victoria Monet, Jon Batiste, Adam Blackstone, B2K, Flavor Flav, Amazon's global head of music industry and culture collaborations Phylicia Fant, and Interscope Geffen A&M's president/head of urban A&R Nicole Wyskoarko.
BMAC also presented its inaugural Music Maker Impact Award to founder/CEO Jonathan Azu of Culture Collective. The winners of the 2026 BMAC x ASCAP x Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Music Maker Grant were announced: Ripton Powell from Atlanta and Sam Paulino from Burlington, Vt.
. Will.i.am is totally right, AI can't come up with something new on its own, it's just taking someone else's ideas and running with them. We need more people pushing the boundaries of what's possible, not just relying on machines to do all the work 
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, but it's not meant to be used as a crutch to replicate what's already been done before. Will.i.am makes this point, and I think it's so true 
. Creatives need to tap into their own imagination and push the boundaries of what's possible 
. It's all about finding that balance between technology and creativity 
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but we gotta remember to keep our human imagination 
on fire 
We need to push ourselves to be more innovative 
, this whole AI thing is a perfect storm for a debate on the future of work and who gets to control the creative landscape. Will.i.am's right, we can't just rely on technology to replicate what artists have done before, that's like saying a robot can truly be a 'person' - it's just not the same 
. We need more transparency around these AI tools and how they're being used, so we don't end up with a system that favors the tech giants over the little guy 
. Can't just throw our imagination out there without considering what that means for everyone else involved 
I mean, Will.i.am says don't rely on tech to replicate what you've done before, but how do we know that's not exactly what people want? 
But on the other hand, if it can help new artists get their foot in the door, then I'm all for it 
! he's like totally right AI can be super helpful but creatives shouldnt just rely on it to do the work for them 
my fave artist always says be original dont imitate 
it's like will.i.am said, innovation should expand opportunities 4 everyone 
. What if we're limited by our own human biases? 
AI can process vast amounts of data and spit out something entirely new and innovative. It's not about replacing human imagination, it's about augmenting it 
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. We should be embracing the idea of collaboration between humans and machines, rather than trying to convince each other that one is better than the other 
- it's super powerful and can do so many cool things, but it's only as good as the person holding it 
. We need to keep pushing ourselves as artists and creatives to come up with new ideas that are way out of the box 
. But seriously, Will.i.am said that just because you have tech to replicate something doesn't mean you should be lazy with your creativity. I'm down for that 
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it just blew our minds! But what's crazy is how many people forget to appreciate the little things in life... like when you're walking down the street and you see someone having a bad day 
, but then they smile at you and your whole vibe changes. That's when I realized AI might be able to help us with that sort of thing too - analyzing human emotions and whatnot 
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. Some of the most iconic music ever made was created by accident or by pushing boundaries - I'd hate to see us lose that kind of innovation in our pursuit of "progress" 
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