THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • Nile Rodgers is defending an AI-assisted video for "The Christmas Song", his charity collaboration with UK singer Rebecca Ferguson, due on November 20.
  • He says the team planned it like a film, with mood boards and storyboards, and that a conventional shoot would have cost about $100,000.
  • Critics on Instagram and in the music press argue that generative imagery is a poor fit for a benefit release.

Producer and guitarist Nile Rodgers has spent the past few days answering critics on Instagram over a new video for "The Christmas Song", the charity recording he first made in 2020 with British soul singer Rebecca Ferguson. The video relies on AI-generated imagery, and both Consequence and Stereogum reported on November 5 that the reaction from many of his followers has been negative. The finished video is scheduled for release on November 20.

How the project was presented

Rodgers first posted footage of himself being captured in a photogrammetry scanning rig, describing it as an art project and saying a concert by the Eagles at the Sphere in Las Vegas had inspired the idea. He later shared still images from the video. According to Stereogum, he says the aim is to bring some holiday cheer to sick children confined to bed, for whom tablets are often a main source of entertainment. Neither outlet names the studio or the tools used to produce the visuals.

The exchange with fans

One commenter dismissed the work as AI slop aimed at older people. Rodgers replied by asking whether that person also objected to CGI, and suggested waiting to see the result before judging it. Consequence reports that the criticism continued after the stills appeared, with one follower arguing that relying on AI clashed with the purpose of a charity release.

In his replies, Rodgers said the team built mood boards and storyboards and approached the video as it would a film. He put the cost of a traditional production at around $100,000. He also wrote that "The AI did what we told it to do", and accused some critics of hypocrisy for objecting to AI while using it every day for web searches or driving directions, adding that he had worked with Microsoft and Apple in the past.

A wider debate

The music press has not been convinced. Consequence editorial director Ben Kaye argues that everyday utilities such as navigation apps are different from generative tools used to make creative work, while Stereogum's Tom Breihan was openly scathing about the images. Both outlets recall that in 2023 Rodgers told MusicRadar that AI-generated music sounded like noise to him, while comparing AI with drum machines and sequencers, which he regarded as useful tools. The episode adds to an ongoing argument among artists and audiences over where AI fits in creative production, and it remains to be seen how the full video will be received when it is released.