Herbie Hancock: Jazz great on playing with Miles Davis, AI, and why the piano makes him cry
Herbie Hancock on 80 years of playing the piano and being this year's recipient of the Polar Music Prize.
www.bbc.co.uk
Hancock went to college to study electrical engineering, so it is no surprise that he has taken a huge interest in the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
He believes our fears about the technology are overblown, and says he prefers to "embrace it". Hancock acknowledges concerns that AI lacks an ethical framework but asks: "Who are the worst examples of understanding ethics and being able to live a life with ethics? We, human beings, we're the worst, right?"
He is on a roll now.
"I have this feeling that AI is going to help us all understand and get closer to becoming more ethically responsible people that are helping each other, instead of hurting or killing each other. Helping the planet instead of killing the planet with environmental issues."
And the man who once released an album called Future Shock, has some simple advice for us all.
"When I'm using ChatGPT or Siri on my iPhone, I always say thank you and they usually say, 'You're welcome.'"
"I try to treat AI like it's human and it actually manifests itself in an extremely positive way and that makes me feel better."
At the age of 84, Herbie Hancock is still determined to try and future-proof himself, by getting the robots on his side.
