Queen guitarist Brian May has taken to Instagram to make a pointed statement about artificial intelligence, using a deliberately flawed AI-generated version of the band's 1980 album The Game to argue that the technology's environmental cost outweighs its benefits. The image, produced by Meta AI, shows five unrecognisable figures instead of the original four band members, prompting May to question the intelligence that may soon govern our lives.
In his post, May wrote: "I just had to share this with you guys. I asked Meta AI to show me what the cover of THE GAME album looked like. This is what it gave me! Good job, eh?" He added: "So this is the kind of intelligence that will soon be ruling the world??! Well, great. Maybe this is the time to realise WE ACTUALLY DON'T NEED AI!!"
The guitarist, known for his astrophysics PhD, then turned serious, addressing UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham directly: "Dear Andy – you must stop it now. Before it's too late." May's concern centres on the construction of data centres, which he claims will "destroy our beautiful country, like they are already destroying beautiful America."
May's intervention comes amid a broader European debate about AI's environmental footprint. Data centres, which underpin AI systems, consume vast amounts of electricity and water, raising alarms across the continent. In Ireland, for example, data centres accounted for over 20% of national electricity use in 2023, while in Germany, energy-intensive facilities have sparked local protests. The issue has also been highlighted in environmental clashes elsewhere in Europe, where infrastructure projects collide with ecological concerns.
Artists and AI: a growing divide
May's critique adds to a growing chorus of artists questioning AI's role in creative fields. The technology has been both condemned and embraced, with figures like Martin Scorsese and George Lucas facing backlash for their endorsement of AI tools. Meanwhile, actor Brad Pitt recently told Esquire that while he heard an AI-generated song that was "pretty damn good," it lacked the emotional depth of a human voice: "It's not going to be the same as hearing her voice - a woman's voice, a person's voice."
British producer Nia Archives, speaking at the Mercury Prize launch in July, predicted that AI music "won't last," echoing a sentiment that AI's output, however technically proficient, cannot replicate human creativity. May's album cover experiment, with its absurd result, serves as a visual metaphor for that argument.
The debate extends beyond music. In the visual arts, AI-generated works have won competitions, sparking legal battles over copyright and authorship. European institutions are grappling with these questions, with the EU's AI Act aiming to regulate high-risk applications, though its provisions on generative AI remain contentious.
May's call to Burnham, however, is specifically about infrastructure. He argues that the rush to build data centres, driven by tech giants' AI ambitions, will have irreversible consequences for the UK's landscape and energy grid. Similar concerns have been raised in other European countries, from the Netherlands to Spain, where data centre projects have faced local opposition.
As the debate intensifies, May's message resonates with a broader public worried about the trade-offs of technological progress. His use of a beloved cultural artefact—Queen's iconic album cover—makes the abstract threat of AI tangible. The image, which turns Freddie Mercury and his bandmates into generic, distorted figures, underscores the fear that AI could homogenise and degrade human expression.
Whether Burnham will respond to May's plea remains to be seen. But the guitarist's intervention has reignited a conversation that is likely to shape European tech policy in the coming years. As May put it, the price of AI's "inevitable" development may be "way too high."
