Gene Simmons says musicians must learn AI, 'otherwise it will use you'
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“It doesn’t matter. The future is here.” That was Gene Simmons, 77, asked whether AI will help or hurt the music industry, in an October 28, 2026 interview on NewsNation’s The Hill.
Then the KISS co-founder gave musicians one instruction, reported by People:
You've got to learn how to use it, otherwise it will use you.
He didn’t say how he uses AI in his own music. His other comments were about getting artists paid.
What Gene Simmons said about AI and radio royalties on NewsNation
Simmons used the interview to push the American Music Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that would make AM and FM radio stations pay performers and labels for the recordings they play. Right now, US terrestrial radio pays them nothing.
He named Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, KISS and Garth Brooks. “When you hear their songs, they receive a total of goose eggs, not even a single penny,” he said. “How about sharing it with the artists that make your broadcast possible?”
He also promised to be “a big angry bee in the butt of everybody who stands in its way.” He testified for the same bill before a Senate subcommittee in December 2025.
Gene Simmons on AI before October 2026: regulation, his voice and KISS avatars
Simmons has been saying versions of this for a while:
- In December 2025, on Bloomberg TV’s Balance of Power, he said “A.I. is a concern if left unregulated” and asked for a federal law. Asked about AI using his voice on a new song, he said: “We can make a deal.”
- In September 2026, on the Lisa Guerrero Unleashed podcast, he said “you will not be able to hold the A.I. wall back”, as transcribed by Blabbermouth.
In 2024, KISS sold its catalogue, name and IP to Pophouse, the company behind ABBA Voyage, in a deal Bloomberg and AP put at more than $300 million. The band and Pophouse are building a $200m Las Vegas venue for a KISS avatar show that opens in 2028.
Other artists use AI in different ways. Boy George says he has written “like, five albums” with AI, and re-recorded Karma Chameleon with an AI vocal. Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele calls AI a really smart guitar pedal, and A$AP Rocky says a song made from a prompt alone is “their thing”.
Next up for Simmons is the documentary KISS: End of the Road, which premieres on November 19.
Frequently asked questions
What did Gene Simmons tell the Senate about the American Music Fairness Act?
Gene Simmons spoke at a Senate subcommittee hearing on the American Music Fairness Act in December 2025. He said Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley 'never got a penny for all the millions of times' their music played on radio, and told the hearing: 'If you are against this bill, you are un-American.'
What is the American Music Fairness Act?
The American Music Fairness Act is a bipartisan US bill that would require AM and FM radio stations to pay performers and record labels when they play their recordings. Today US terrestrial radio pays songwriters but not performers, which Gene Simmons calls an injustice.
When does KISS: End of the Road premiere?
The documentary KISS: End of the Road premieres on November 19, 2026. It follows the band's farewell tour, which ended with two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York in December 2023.
About the author
Covering AI music tools, industry shifts, and news for music creators and professionals. Twice-weekly newsletter at aimusicpreneur.com.
