Jimmy Page has joined the growing backlash against the UK government’s proposed AI copyright laws, which many artists fear could allow artificial intelligence to profit at the expense of human creativity.
The movement gained traction after 1,000 artists, including Damon Albarn and Kate Bush, released an entirely silent album as a statement of protest. Shortly after, Brian May warned that the future of music was “already changed forever.”
Now, the Led Zeppelin legend has added his voice to the conversation, sharing a powerful statement on Instagram:
“In the disciplined studios of early ‘60s London, I honed my craft as a session musician, lending my guitar to countless artists across genres. Those endless hours—often three sessions of three hours each day—were more than just work. They were a crucible of creativity, collaboration, and relentless inspiration.”
Page emphasized that his journey from session musician to global rock icon was shaped by **improvisation and raw human ingenuity—**not by algorithms.
**”My path from the anonymity of studio work to the world’s biggest stages with Led Zeppelin was not mapped out by data sets. It was forged through spontaneous improvisation and that incalculable spark of human genius. The alchemy that turned a single riff into an anthem was embedded in the collective soul of the band—a synergy that no machine can ever replicate.”
“AI Lacks the Soul of Human Experience”
Page warned about the hollow nature of AI-generated music, calling it nothing more than “empty echoes” that lack the real-life struggles and triumphs that define true artistry:
“Today, as artificial intelligence attempts to mimic and monetize creativity, we stand at a crossroads. AI-generated art and music, synthesized from existing human works, lack the visceral essence that comes from lived experience.”
AI and Copyright: “Not Innovation, But Exploitation”
Beyond the artistic concerns, Page also highlighted the ethical implications of AI mining human-created content without consent, credit, or compensation.
“If, during my session days, someone had taken my riffs without recognition or payment, it would have been called theft. The same principle must apply to AI.”
His message is clear: artists deserve protection.
“We must champion policies that protect artists, ensuring their work is not swallowed into the void of machine learning without due respect. Let’s celebrate and preserve the human touch in art—the imperfections, the emotions, the stories behind every note and cadence.”
As AI continues to reshape the creative landscape, Jimmy Page’s words serve as a powerful reminder of what’s at stake—the very soul of human expression.