Kyle Thomas is not running a campaign against artificial intelligence. He just does not want to use it, and he can explain exactly where his objection sits.
Asked by Capital Chaos TV about A.I.-generated work in the arts — a question with some urgency, given how many of his peers have admitted using it for cover art, posters and even music — the EXHORDER frontman said the choice is other people's to make. "I don't have a really strong feeling against it, but I don't have a strong desire to use it. So, the way I see it is if you're over 21 and it's available, then you use it; I don't care. But for me, I would rather outsource my work to an artist to do my album artwork."
The distinction he draws is between a tool and a substitute. "The artwork for 'Defectum Omnium' was done by Travis Smith, and I'm sure Travis uses a lot of computer graphics while he makes his art, but he's making the art. And to me, that's fine. But my buddy Scott Guion that I went to high school with, he's an amazing artist. I played in PITTS VS. PREPS with him over the years, but he just most recently did the CORROSION OF CONFORMITY album cover. He's also done murals in Hard Rock Café and House Of Blues, and the last handful of posters for the New Orleans Jazz Fest. I'd rather see a guy or a girl — doesn't matter, just an artist — I'd rather see a person, a human, get that contract, get that job."
His problem with the technology itself is a question of who gets paid. "Basically, A.I., as far as I can tell, and I'm no expert, but it's just kind of a method of electronically picking the brains out of every piece of art or music that's ever been done before and cherry-picking it and putting something together on its own that's kind of like just lifting off everything else. But the person responsible for directing the A.I. doesn't have to pay out any royalty to the persons that were the actual catalyst for the artwork to be created. So I think that's problematic. That could really put a lot of people out of work."
He reaches for the supermarket to make the point. "Just like the checkout line at the grocery store when they've got a self-service counter. Well, that's a job they took away from somebody. I'd rather sit in line and let somebody do it for me than have to do it myself. And sometimes it's convenient — if I got four or five things and I'm just throwing it in the bag and going — but I'd rather see a person get that job. I really would."
EXHORDER are between drummers. Sasha Horn left in March to focus on his personal life; Corey Pierce of GOD FORBID filled in on the road through the spring, and no permanent replacement has been named. Their fourth album, "Defectum Omnium", came out in March 2024 on Nuclear Blast — twelve tracks, that Travis Smith cover, and the band's first with former CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Pat O'Brien.
Thomas is now the last founding member left of a band that released "Slaughter In The Vatican" in 1990 and "The Law" in 1992 through Roadrunner before breaking up — and that is still routinely credited with inventing the riff-heavy power-groove approach PANTERA carried to the world.