Grimes to present speech on AI at April’s International Music Summit

Grimes will address music technology, AI and the metaverse in her speech at the event.

Electronic artist Grimes is set to present a Keynote speech on AI in music at the International Music Summit in Ibiza this month (April).

Grimes (whose real name is Claire Boucher), will be closing the conference with a presentation sharing her insights into music technology, AI and the metaverse. The summit, now in its 14th year, begins on 26 April and ends on 28 April. The event is also set to be co-hosted by DJs Pete Tong and Jaguar.

In a statement (via NME), IMS Ibiza’s co-founder Ben Turner said, “Grimes is one of the most important, impactful and creative artists of our times. A true visionary – sonically, lyrically, philosophically… and then there’s that angelic voice.”

He concluded, “It is a true honour to host her at IMS for our finalé keynote interview in what is a rare visit to Ibiza. She will also be performing – more news to come.”

Grimes is an advocate of AI and Web3 technologies in music, as well as NFT art creation. In 2021, she shared her belief that “AI is the fastest path to communism”.

“AI could automate all the farming, weed out systematic corruption, thereby bringing us as close as possible to genuine equality. So basically, everything everybody loves about communism but without the collective farm ’cause, let’s be real, enforced farming is really not a vibe,” she said.

Opinions in the music industry surrounding AI remain divided – some industry figures such as David Guetta, and TikTok’s AI designer, have argued the tech will be beneficial for the music industry, whereas artists such as Nick Cave and Young Guru have recently criticised its role in imitating the lyrical styles of musicians, asking for more regulation.

Also at IMS Ibiza this year is MusicTech Features Editor, Sam Willings. Other speakers include Beatport’s CEO Robb McDaniels, iconic DJ Fat Tony, Fabio & Grooverider, Sherelle and many more.