Gospel musician Joe Mettle has called on the Christian music community to view Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a valuable tool for ministry rather than a threat to spirituality.
Speaking on the changing dynamics of the music industry, the “Bo Noo Ni” hitmaker rejected claims by some gospel artistes that AI is “unspiritual.” According to him, the spiritual depth of any song depends on the heart and intention of the individual using the technology, not the system itself.
Addressing concerns within the gospel fraternity, he explained that AI functions through data processing and sampling. Therefore, if a spiritually grounded person provides the input, the output will reflect that same intention.
“I’ve had conversations with some of my friends who are also gospel ministers who sometimes say AI is not spiritual, but I think if you understand how it works, you realise that it has nothing to do with spirit,” he said. “The sound you feed it is the sound it produces for you.”
Inside His Creative Process
Sharing insight into his workflow, Joe Mettle revealed that he has already incorporated AI into his music production—but with a strong emphasis on human input.
Rather than relying on AI to create full songs, he uses it as a support tool. He and his producer first handle the core elements, including lyrics, melodies, and arrangements, before using AI to assist with additional components like drums, bass, or strings.
“I do the lyrics, the arrangements, everything and then sometimes you insert it. So in this case, AI wasn’t the one that did it. What AI did was extract the rest of the music in terms of like the drum and the bass,” he explained.
Caution On Copyright Risks
Despite the advantages, the award-winning artiste cautioned musicians about the potential dangers associated with fully AI-generated content.
He noted that such outputs often carry identifiable digital markers, making them detectable by online systems. This could lead to copyright issues, including the loss of ownership rights if the work is not properly modified or humanised.
“When you put an AI system back into the online [space], the same AI can generate and let you know that you did not do that work… AI will start punching out people’s songs,” he warned.
Call For Industry Conversation
Joe Mettle concluded by urging stakeholders in Ghana’s music industry to engage in meaningful discussions about AI. While he acknowledged its ability to enhance production speed and creativity, he stressed the need for careful and informed use to avoid legal and artistic challenges.
“It’s a subject that needs to be discussed. It has a lot of advantages. Trust me, a lot,” he added.
