Nikki Sixx recently laid out where he stands on artificial intelligence in music, saying he’s willing to experiment with certain tools but won’t let them into his songwriting. The Mötley Crüe bassist shared the comments in a message to fans on X, framing it as a personal boundary about creativity and authenticity at a time when AI-generated content is rapidly spreading through the industry.
In the statement, Sixx said he’s comfortable using AI for visual “jumping-off points,” like design ideas and print inspiration, but he considers music to be off-limits that he “will NEVER hand my words over to a program to make them ‘better.’”
“I love advancements in technology. Over the past decade, I’ve used it in just about every way you can imagine. But I also put limits on what I will and won’t use,” Sixx said. “The AI tools I mess with? Great for jumping-off points—design ideas, print inspiration, visual sparks. No problem there. But there are areas that sit right in the middle for me. Music is one of them.”
Sixx described the writing process as something that’s supposed to be difficult, arguing that fighting through blocks is part of the work. He said that when he gets stuck he tries to break patterns by walking, reading something random, or going “way outside” his lane to shake ideas loose rather than relying on software to generate lyrics.
“I’m not here to judge how anyone else uses it—but for me, my life is words. And I can’t hand that over,” he continued. “I’m talking about the struggle… pulling your hair out, pacing the room, yelling at the walls, trying to break through a block. That’s part of it. That’s the work. When I’m stuck, I go for a walk. I read something random—even a damn user manual. I go way outside my lane just to shake something loose.”
“You can’t keep going back to the same source if you want to break through new, uncomfortable, exciting walls. And I will NEVER hand my words over to a program to make them ‘better.’ Could it be better sometimes? Maybe. Then I need to get better,” Sixx stated.
He then concluded as he acknowledged the broader implications of AI technology. He also expressed concerns about the authenticity in information.
“So I keep my antenna up. I stay open. And eventually—it comes. That said, this is a hot-button subject. We can’t stop this wave, so we have to learn how to use it without abusing it. That’s the balance. What does scare me is not knowing what’s real anymore—especially when it comes to things like political information we used to trust. Anyway… this has been on my mind. Hopefully, some bottom-feeder clickbait outlet doesn’t twist this into something negative. This is just a conversation with my fans. All thoughts open,” he said.
The musician also suggested his broader worry isn’t limited to music, adding that what scares him is “not knowing what’s real anymore,” particularly around political information people previously trusted. In recent years, Sixx has been outspoken publicly on band-related drama as well, including when he fired back after a reported Vince Neil insult.
Sixx’s remarks land amid a wider debate over AI in entertainment, where artists are weighing convenience against questions of authorship, originality, and public trust. For now, his message draws a clear line: AI may help with visual inspiration, but the words in his songs will remain a human struggle he believes is essential to the craft.
