Mick Jagger describes AI as one more instrument for crafting songs, provided it helps produce fresh and distinctive work.

During a Billboard discussion on Thursday, the Rolling Stones lead singer offered his views on artificial intelligence in song creation and how studio tools continue to shift.

"You do not really want AI to copy you directly, of course," Jagger noted.

"I do not want others releasing tracks that match the Rolling Stones sound exactly. That seems clearly incorrect," he continued.

Still, he supports AI use during music production.

"If someone chooses to create songs with AI, sure, go for it. Yet the result must stay original. It must come from you and reflect your own ideas and input," Jagger explained.

AI holds power to yield strong music or weak output, all based on what is fed into it, he observed.

Jagger sees AI as the next phase in recording tech evolution, among many shifts across his six-decade run. Prior to computers arriving in studios during the late 1970s, track mixing called for multiple team members, he recalled.

"If you are smart, you can turn the tech to your benefit to speed up tasks and skip dull steps," Jagger said.

The core creative steps must remain human-driven, he stressed.

"You need to compose the songs, perform them, and take them onstage," he said. "Overdubs are fine too. I started using them back in 1965, so that is nothing new."

Jagger noted that some creators already rely on AI to build tracks in the vein of known acts like the Rolling Stones.

"Yet any truly creative person would avoid that route," he added.

His remarks follow the band's use of AI to refresh their look in the clip for the recent single "In the Stars." Released in May, the video swapped faces on the actors to show younger versions of the group.

"No one is fake or in a made-up space. Every drummer shown is a real player working in an actual room," Jagger said. "The players are genuine musicians who resemble the Rolling Stones around 1968. Only the faces changed."

Jagger stands among artists weighing AI's role in creative fields.

Back in 2023, Jason Derulo said AI does not yet threaten musicians since bot-written lyrics miss "soul."

"As time moves on and tech advances, we will gain more tools," Derulo noted. "With luck, the creativity in the work will rise alongside the tech instead of leaning on it as a shortcut."

In May, Jack Antonoff, frontman for Bleachers and frequent Taylor Swift partner, issued an open letter that called out "bad actors" for using AI in what he termed the "holy process" of song making.

"So to all who feel excited about fresh ways to fake art, feel free to head straight off that edge," Antonoff wrote. "We are truly glad to watch you leave."