Sir Brian May warns Andy Burnham to block AI ‘before it’s too late’

Sir Brian May has urged Andy Burnham to block AI “before it’s too late” and dubbed data centres “a massive evil” that “have to be fought.”

The 70-year-old British guitarist revealed that he designed a Queen immersive experience, similar to ABBA’s virtual concert ABBA Voyage, but wouldn’t move forward with the show until it was possible without AI.

“I have serious misgivings about that,” the musician told The Times.

“We all like AI. It helps us write emails. It’s even saved a few lives. But the harm it is bringing to the world is immense,” he further said.

May shared that he’d even nixed a video for his recent song My Angels Are Calling after its directors admitted they’d used AI to create it.

“AI would have stolen the angels from some artist, so they had to go,” the iconic musician said of his choice to shut down the video.

May further expressed, “We’re facing a moral dilemma: you can’t hide from this thing, but it’s turning us into a very different civilisation and personally I’m terrified. These tech billionaires do not have our interests at heart.”

Brian May’s stance comes after the government rejected calls for a so-called "kill switch" to protect against an attack from rogue artificial intelligence.

The position came amid escalating alarms over technological risks, including warnings from experts that the technology could wipe out humanity within the decade.