Thomas Bangalter dismisses AI use in music creation

Former Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter told Chanel Arts, Culture and Heritage President Yana Peel at Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, that he is "not really interested in the creative usage of artificial intelligence." He said the most compelling part of music making occurs on an emotional level, not an intellectual one, and he prefers working with analogue drum machines and synths.

Bangalter also performed a surprise "no‑phones" set at art. klub inside the Messe Basel exhibition centre, using a custom modular rig of analogue equipment. His stance joins comments from other veteran electronic artists, such as Gary Numan, who have warned that AI could diminish the role of musicians.

The interview was posted publicly by Chanel on YouTube on 29 July, bringing Bangalter’s view into the broader industry debate over generative AI tools for music production.