Queen’s Brian May outraged by AI-generated image of Freddie Mercury: ‘You must stop it now’

Queen guitarist Sir Brian May has urged Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to block AI development in the UK after Meta AI generated an inaccurate image of the cover of Queen's 1980 album The Game, which featured his late bandmate Freddie Mercury. May wrote on Instagram that 'WE ACTUALLY DON'T NEED AI' and warned that data centres 'will destroy our beautiful country, like they are already destroying beautiful America.' His comments come amid mixed reactions from artists, with Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes saying artists should 'embrace' AI, while producer Nia Archives said AI music 'won't last.'

Queen’s Brian May outraged by AI-generated image of Freddie Mercury: ‘You must stop it now’ ‘Maybe this is the time to realise WE ACTUALLY DON'T NEED AI,’ angry musician declared - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Sir Brian May /topic/brian-may has urged Andy Burnham to block AI “before it’s too late” after being left outraged by an AI-generated image of his former Queen bandmate Freddie Mercury /topic/freddie-mercury . The British guitarist decided to check what Meta AI would create when he asked it what the cover of Queen’s 1980 record The Game looked like. He was unimpressed with the result, writing on Instagram: “This is what it gave me Good job, eh ? So this is the kind of intelligence that will soon be ruling the world ?? Well, great. Maybe this is the time to realise WE ACTUALLY DON'T NEED AI ” Highlighting the seriousness of his post, he added: “I believe the price we are about to pay for this 'inevitable' development is way too high. We must not allow these hideous Data Centres to be built in the UK. They will destroy our beautiful country, like they are already destroying beautiful America. “Dear Andy – you must stop it now. Before it's too late.” May’s post comes as a number of artists speak out both in favour and against AI. In May, 4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry told the Press Association /topic/press-association that she felt artists should “embrace” AI while picking up the special international award at the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards. She said: “To me, it’s just another tool that has shown up to make people’s life easier in some way. “And I said earlier, like microwaves, when microwaves showed up, everybody thought it was the end of making dinner, and mums were just going to throw it in there, and poof, we were going to be in the Jetsons with this powder that turns into a turkey for Thanksgiving, and it’s not. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply. Try for free https://amzn.to/32gdyhr ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. “It’s just this is the future, we have to embrace it, because if we try to run from the future, then we’re running from solution.” But dance music producer Nia Archives said AI music “won’t last” while speaking at the launch of the Mercury Prize /topic/mercury-prize in July. She said: “I don’t know if AI music will last to be honest with you, I think it’s quite like a fleeting technology moment.” With Queen, Sir Brian had six UK number one singles and 10 UK number one albums. Some of the band’s best-known songs include “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Killer Queen”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and We Are The Champions. Meta AI has been contacted for comment. Additional reporting by Agencies Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments comments-area