The Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan recently drawn a hard line on artificial intelligence in the studio, saying he will not use AI tools as part of his music-making process as generators become increasingly capable of mimicking human-written songs.
Corgan told the And The Writer Is… podcast that he “refuse[s], patently refuse[s] to use A.I. in my music creation,” describing it as “a deal with the devil” as generative programs like Suno and Udio improve.
In the interview, Corgan argued that the struggle and uncertainty of songwriting is part of what gives music its value, and suggested that relying on software removes the “soul searching” that forces writers to find a new chord or push through doubt.
“You didn’t ask me, but I’m gonna make a declaratory statement. I refuse, refuse, patently refuse to use A.I. in my music creation. Because, to me, it’s a deal with the devil. Simple. Whether it’s the Promethean fire myth or whatever, to me you’re literally leaning into the thing that will destroy you. Period. So that’s why I’m not gonna mess with it, because the pressure, the inspiration, the, the soul searching, the ‘I’m not sure I got anything else to say’, that’s all part of the journey that a songwriter needs to go to.”
He also contrasted collaborating with another person—“real feelings and real blood”—with creating alongside an app that can generate endless options without the same stakes.
He added, “Now, if it was the guy in my band or somebody I met through my friend Shooter Jennings or whatever, and we’re writing songs together, that’s a real person with real feelings and real blood coursing through their veins. And maybe someday we’re gonna argue about a publishing split. But if we’re arguing, it means there’s something of value that we’re arguing over. If my new buddy, my new running buddy, is pick your app or app to still be made, that shit’s never gonna end. I’m saying it’s good that a songwriter has a doubt, it’s good that a songwriter’s not sure they have anything left to say, it’s good that a songwriter has to think of a new chord that they haven’t thought of. That’s where the magic comes from, and until that is proven otherwise, I’m sticking with the game I’m in.”
He went further by warning that the industry is “flirting with the thing that will destroy us,” predicting AI could erase jobs and disrupt the music economy in a way he compared to the technological shift from silent films to talking pictures. The comments fit alongside Corgan’s broader views on the modern business of music, including his argument that rock was purposely dialed down in the ‘90s as industry priorities changed.
Corgan has previously said he believes AI will change music permanently, but his latest remarks emphasise that, for his own work, authenticity is part of what listeners are buying—especially as the market becomes more crowded with algorithm-assisted material.
