Nick Cave Releases AI-Generated Video for 40th Anniversary of Tupelo

Nick Cave, long critical of artificial intelligence and its impact on creativity, notably telling ChatGPT to "fuck off and leave songwriting alone," has released an AI-generated video for the 40th anniversary of his song "Tupelo." The video, created by filmmaker Andrew Dominik without Cave's initial knowledge, uses AI to animate archival images of Elvis Presley, who is central to the song's narrative. Though initially skeptical, Cave described the video as "a soulful, moving, and entirely original retelling," noting its uncanny, resurrection-like quality and saying it softened his view of AI as an artistic tool. Despite this shift, Cave maintains serious reservations about AI's use in songwriting and concerns that AI-generated music could reduce art to mere commodity, eliminating the creative struggle. He acknowledged that the video changed his perspective to some extent but distinguished this from broader worries about AI's effect on human creativity. Cave's nuanced stance reflects his willingness to reconsider his beliefs while remaining cautious about AI's role in the creative process.