Will.I.Am reacts to backlash Timbaland got over AI react label, artist

CANNES — Will.I.Am, a global entertainer who is also a staunch tech advocate, sees the value of using artificial intelligence in the music industry, but also recognizes why Timbaland’s new label is under fire.

“Timbaland is awesome,” the Black Eyed Peas frontman, 50, began in an exclusive interview with Page Six at Stagwell’s Sport Beach studios for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Tuesday.

“He’s a great musician, a great contributor and he’s enthusiastic about AI just like I am. I feel that maybe, you know, maybe he didn’t think of all the things.”

Will.I.Am shared that, in his opinion, Timbaland’s greatest “stumble” with his new AI venture was not that he launched an AI artist — which some critics believe could threaten the careers of rising human artists — but rather he was not transparent enough about his business efforts.

“I think what happened with Timbaland was he was telling people to send music in the year before, to sign humans, people. And the thing that he signed the following year was AI,” the “Pump It” rapper explained.

“And so the combination of that, right, raises a lot of concerns or questions, like, ‘Were you using our music to train your AI? You had us send music in.’”

In 2024, Timbaland, 53, joined forced with UMG Nashville to explore rising talent in the music industry via his independent record label Mosley Music. He and UMGN CEO Cindy Mabe had been “developing great artists as well as bridging the gaps in sound and culture in country music” over the past year.

The “Way I Are” rapper, however, then announced in June that he was launching his new AI label, Stage Zero, and his first AI artist, TaTa.

Comments via social media range from, “We don’t want less human connection, we NEED MORE human connection” to “Why have you been encouraging artists to send you their music for the past year? Just training to make you more money for less? Super disappointed in your lack of integrity. Such a stain on the legacy.”

Timbaland responded to the backlash via Instagram, clarifying, “I love my independent artists. This doesn’t mean I’m not working with real artists anymore. And nah I don’t train ai off y’all music. This just means more creativity for all creators.”

Will.I.Am — who has collaborated on songs by Justin Timberlake and Pussycat Dolls with Timbaland — went on to defend the mega-producer, telling Page Six that he has “good intentions.”

“There’s probably some, like, oversight on or undermine on ‘I did this last year, I’m doing this this year. I didn’t make it clear that these efforts are not connected to these efforts,’” the “Where Is the Love” rapper said.

“I don’t think it was well-communicated. Timbaland .. he’s a Pisces like me, he’s an amazing contributor and he’s a technocrat, but I think the stumble was this company and that company, are they intertwined? … He didn’t make it clear that these two things are not connected.”

Will.I.Am also expanded on the value that AI can bring to musician’s records, noting that he and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas had that foresight back in 2009 when they noted in their “Imma Be Rocking That Body” video, “Hey, the future of music is going to be you type this in and the machine is going to sing it.”

“We announced that we have an AI member of our group when we were supposed to do our Vegas residency,” he added. However, the Grammy winner pointed out the importance for regulations and governance to combat AI companies that “lead with greed.”

Will.I.Am’s most recent tech ventures also include FYI.AI, a web 3.0 creativity and productivity tool, which he demonstrated to Page Six how it can be used to answer questions ranging from worldwide political issues to interpersonal relationship problems.

He also launched an AI-powered radio platform called FYI.RAiDiO, which recently partnered with Mercedes Benz, and is set to revolutionize education by incorporating AI into Arizona State University’s curriculum — fresh off his own Harvard Business School graduation last year.

“I take pride in going [to Harvard] and I’m so happy that I went there an experienced education as it was because I think education is going to transform forever moving forward,” Will.I.Am told us.

“Not only because of what we’re doing with ASU but there’s going to be so much change moving forward while we, as a society, will adopt this forever learning mentality. … People should always pursue to learn and learn and learn and learn.”