STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET On Artificial Intelligence In Music: 'I Don't Know Why That Doesn't Scare More People Than It Does'

In a new interview with the "Thunder Underground" podcast, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (A.I.) to create music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The human touch is fading, and that's very concerning. That is not good for music or art in general. When you just type in a few words and say, 'Show me this,' 'Give me this,' 'Create this,' and then — boom — in two seconds you've got it. Uh-uh. That's where we're at. I think we're at a point now where you don't know what's real and what's not, what's human and what's A.I.? You don't know; we won't know. Music is changed forever. And then people call you old for thinking that way. 'Oh, man, you need to get with the times. You're old school. You're an old fart. Come on, man.' It's, like, really? Okay. If other people don't care about that, wow."

He continued: "Music, art, it should be created by humans from the heart, not a computer. And I think just so many people are going down that road. And it's gonna be interesting to see where we're at in 10 years with music and the arts and film and all that stuff, man. It's mind-boggling. I don't think it's a good thing."

Sweet added: "I've heard stuff. I thought, 'Oh, wow, this is cool. What band is this?' And they're, like, 'It's A.I.' Okay. It's good — it's really good. You're sitting there going, 'Yeah.' But gee, I don't know why that doesn't scare more people than it does."

STRYPER's 40th-anniversary tour dates kicked off on September 11 in Greenville, Tennessee and will conclude November 16 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

STRYPER's 40th-anniversary tour is a celebration of both classic hits and new-era fan favorites, including outfit changes and an exciting new show production. In most cities, this will be a two-set "evening with"-style show.

In December, Sweet underwent partial thyroidectomy, the surgery to remove part of his thyroid gland. It is the most common surgery for thyroid cancer.

Formed 41 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil", "Even The Devil Believes", "The Final Battle" and "When We Were Kings".

Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums),Oz Fox (guitar) and Perry Richardson (bass).

STRYPER's "To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour" kicked off in late May. For the first time ever, the Christian rockers staged a full tour where they performed their hits and fan favorites acoustically.