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Gary Valenciano assured fans that no AI-generated content will be used in his upcoming concert series, Back at the Museum, this October.

“You know what I like about this show? Is that there's not going to be anything AI in it. Everything you will see on screen, and you will hear on that stage, will be exactly what it is,” Mr. Pure Energy proudly said during the media conference for his concert on September 7.

The OPM icon made the statement after he was asked about the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in music creation.

For Gary, AI can be a useful tool for artists, but he also acknowledged that excessive reliance on the technology could affect an artist's own creativity.

“My take on AI, it's a tool. It really is a tool and you can make something out of it and you can create something out of it,” Gary said.

“But, when you begin to look at it as a, it can also serve as a tool that can diminish your own creative, your own gift of being creative.”

He further explained, “Kasi via mere prompt: 'Give me a song like this, Di Bale na Lang of Gary Valenciano. I want the vocalist to sound like him, but give it a little more R&B flavor and can you slow it down and make it sound all live instruments, nothing synthesizer'—in a span of seconds, that's it.”

READ: SB19 Pablo on using AI without artists' consent: 'It should be illegal'

While the result may be impressive, Gary stressed that the creative process behind creating a piece of music remains important.

“So, it's an idea, but you did not creatively put it together. You just contributed an idea,” he explained.

Gary also recalled a personal experience that showed him how AI could be used to create music.

“We were on the farm of ZsaZsa [Padilla] and Conrad [Onglao], and this was last year… Martin [Nievera] just decided to write a few lyrics down and go on AI, and it came up with a song using his lyrics. Martin was blown away and I said, 'Yeah bro, that's what it can do.'”

What Gary did not expect, however, was that artists could eventually have different AI-generated versions of their songs and voices.

“I just didn't know na pati kami, mga artist, magkakaroon na rin ng mga iba't iba versions,” he said.

Despite this, Gary said he is not worried about AI completely replacing real artists. For him, there is one thing artificial intelligence will never be able to replicate—the experience of a live performance.

“It is artificial intelligence, so I'm not worried. Because in the same manner that AI has really kind of infiltrated to a certain degree the industry, there is a surge in the number of people that want to catch live events—that is something that AI will never be able to recreate.”

Gary believes that a live show offers a different kind of experience, particularly the personal connection between an artist and the audience.

“AI will never be able to come up with a Back at the Museum, where they have an AI Gary Valenciano doing [Gary does his signature dance moves].”

READ: Gary Valenciano reimagines past shows in 'Back at the Museum' concert

While he acknowledged that the technology could become even more advanced in the coming years, Gary believes that real performances will continue to have a special value.

“That's maybe down the road in a few years, maybe ten years down the road, they can do that. But still, that's going to be yung uso. 'Uy, yung galing! O, tapos na.' Then, we move on to the real thing. That's what I think is gonna happen.”

Ultimately, Gary's view on AI is simple: use it as a tool, but do not allow it to replace an artist's own creativity.

“So, that's my take on AI. Use it as a tool. But don't use it as a tool so that you can relax and let it do everything for you. That's a different issue,” he concluded.

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