ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus Turns to AI for Musical Inspiration
ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus Turns to AI for Musical Inspiration

Published: June 5, 2025

ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus has revealed that he is using artificial intelligence (AI) to help him write a new musical. Speaking at a SXSW London panel titled "The Future of Entertainment" on Wednesday, June 4, Ulvaeus opened up about his experience with AI-generated music.

According to Ulvaeus, AI is not capable of writing entire songs, but it can provide valuable ideas and inspiration. "A misconception is that AI can write a whole song. It's lousy at that — very bad. And thank God! It's very bad at lyrics as well. But it can give you ideas," he said.

Ulvaeus explained that AI can be used as "another songwriter in the room," providing suggestions and ideas that can help overcome creative blocks. "You have written a lyric about something, and you're stuck maybe, and you want this song to be in a certain style. So you can prompt the lyric and the style you want, asking, 'Where would you go from here?' And it usually comes up with garbage, but sometimes there is something in it that gives you another idea," he added.

Ulvaeus' use of AI-generated music is controversial, as many artists have spoken out against the technology. In April 2024, over 200 artists, including Katy Perry, Billie Eilish, and Miranda Lambert, signed an open letter denouncing "AI-music generation technology" and calling for its responsible use.

However, not all musicians are opposed to AI-generated music. Zedd has argued that musicians have been using a version of AI for years, citing music software that creates instrumental sounds from the push of a button.

Ulvaeus' thoughts on AI-generated music are a refreshing change from the usual criticism. It will be interesting to see how his new musical turns out and whether AI plays a significant role in its creation.

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