AR Rahman Urges Tech Leaders to Develop AI That Preserves Jobs and Empowers Creativity

AR Rahman emphasized that artificial intelligence should complement human capabilities rather than replace them.

Acclaimed music composer AR Rahman recently shared insights from his discussions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Perplexity AI founder Aravind Srinivas during a podcast interview with Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath. Rahman revealed that he consistently urges tech innovators to develop technologies that preserve employment opportunities.

Rahman mentioned that before ChatGPT became widely known, Altman was the only person he followed on X (formerly Twitter).

The musician's primary message to AI developers remains consistent: "Don't create technology that makes people lose jobs. Empower people to break generational curses like poverty, misinformation, and the lack of tools needed to tell their stories."

Drawing a parallel between AI and firearms, the two-time Oscar winner explained that just as guns require licenses and regulations due to their potential harm, AI similarly needs appropriate governance to prevent economic damage. "If you buy a gun, you've set rules, right? You don't give it to everyone, because they're gonna shoot everybody. They're going to kill people. It's not free to use. It has restrictions. Now you're not shooting people, but you can pull the carpet off, make them jobless. It's like making families go into poverty. So it is the rules," he stated.

Rahman advocated for establishing guidelines for artificial intelligence comparable to existing regulations for traffic, weapons, and immigration.

When Kamath suggested increased productivity might counterbalance job losses, Rahman disagreed, expressing concern about providing potentially disruptive tools without adequate preparation.

"If someone studies four years in college and suddenly AI can do their job in two seconds, they'll be helpless. We need alternate systems before we give such tools to everybody," Rahman cautioned.

He stressed that AI should enhance human capabilities by performing tasks beyond human ability rather than replacing functions humans already excel at.

Rahman also highlighted AI's potential benefits for creative individuals with limited resources. "AI lets people make movies, art, songs, even if they don't have training," he explained, referencing British singer RAYE as an example of artists incorporating AI into their creative process.

"Her latest songs are experimental," Rahman noted, "because the construction is different from what people normally do. It's trying to beat AI."

Discussing his metahuman digital avatar band, Secret Mountain, Rahman explained how the project combines human artistry with advanced AI technologies to create hyper-realistic digital performers with emotional responsiveness.

"We use the best of AI, and we use the best of humans," Rahman stated. He shared that Altman showed interest in the project, offering technological assistance if needed.

Rahman described Secret Mountain as encompassing "fashion, merchandise, music, wisdom, and entertainment," featuring six digital avatars including an Irish singer-songwriter, a Tamil rapper, and an African percussionist, each supported by real musicians and creative professionals.

"The initiative will use cutting-edge tools like Veo 3 for avatar embodiment and video generation, and Imagen and Gemini Flash 2.5 Image for high-quality visuals, while Gemini 2.5 Pro will serve as the 'conversational brain' that powers real-time fan interactions," Rahman explained.