Madonna: AI is the opposite of making art

Madonna, the Queen of Pop, recently declared that art loses its essence when it relies on AI and creativity is born from taking risks rather than relying on algorithms or data.

In a recent interview with Vogue Italia, Madonna characterized AI as the “opposite of making art,” adding the same mindset has also changed the way the music industry values artists, often prioritizing followers, streaming numbers, and algorithms over genuine creative expression.

She reflected on how different things were when she was starting out in New York City. She points to places like the Danceteria club, which she also references in her new track “Danceteria” from "Confessions II," Madonna’s fifteenth studio album. 

It was where she launched her career and where giants of art like Keith Haring, Maripol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat regularly passed through. 

There she also met  Martin Burgoyne and Debi Mazar, who became close friends, and Mark Kamins, who eventually played her demo of “Everybody,” leading her to a record deal. 

That kind of breakthrough only happened because according to her,  people physically showed up, stayed engaged, and put in effort to connect. She says that kind of creative environment doesn’t really exist anymore. 

Back then, musicians, painters, dancers, and other artists were all in the same spaces, working off each other in a more “pure” way. Now, she says, the industry is opposite, driven by numbers. She even references this in her song “Bring Your Love,” with the line “Don’t try to distract me with numbers.” 

In contrast, she also points to a different meaning of numbers in “I Feel So Free,” where she sings “That’s why I like to go dancing/ Safety in numbers,” explaining that numbers can also mean being surrounded by people and feeling protected. Still, she believes algorithms and AI discourage creative risk, which she sees as essential to art.

At 67, the “Like A Virgin” singer also admits she sometimes feels the urge to disappear. The pressure around her work and public image has made things difficult lately, but she values taking breaks, being in nature, and spending time with her children and horses—simply stepping away from online and public perception—saying that “stillness is what fuels imagination.”

She adds that today’s culture often feels isolating, with people not coming together the way they used to, even though she believes connection is what helps people get through difficult times. Madonna hopes her new record can act as an “antidote” to that feeling.