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Nile Rodgers defended using AI in a music video for a new version of “The Christmas Song,” responding to social media criticism by saying his team created the concept and directed the work. He also argued that critics use AI in everyday services. The final video was expected November 20, 2026, according to the report, but its release and the extent of AI’s role are not confirmed in the supplied material.
Nile Rodgers has defended using AI in a music video for a new version of “The Christmas Song” after social media users criticized images from the project, saying his team developed the concept and directed the production. The dispute puts the Chic bandleader’s creative use of generative tools at the center of a debate over authorship and the difference between everyday AI services and AI-generated artwork.
Rodgers first posted footage of himself in a photogrammetry rig, describing it as the beginning of an art project and saying he was excited about the finished result. He said seeing the Eagles perform at the Las Vegas Sphere had inspired the direction. A commenter criticized the work before seeing the finished video, prompting Rodgers to compare the process with CGI and ask the person to judge it after viewing it.
The project is for a new version of “The Christmas Song,” a charity collaboration Rodgers released in 2020 with soul singer Rebecca Ferguson. Stills later shared online showed Rodgers and Ferguson onstage alongside large, fuzzy, creature-like figures and a crowd of smaller figures. The report also described irregularities in the title-card lettering. Those images drew further criticism, including a comment questioning the use of AI for a charitable release.
In response, Rodgers said the team made mood boards and storyboards and worked on the video as they would a film. He said the team “painstakingly created every second” and that a traditional film version would have cost about $100,000. The report does not independently verify the production cost or detail which elements were generated by AI.
AI Tools and Creative Responsibility
The disagreement highlights a growing distinction in public debate about AI: using software to organize information or provide a service is not necessarily viewed the same way as using generative systems to make visual art. Rodgers argued that critics rely on AI through services such as Instagram, Google and driving directions, and called their objections “hypocritical.”
For artists and audiences, the dispute also raises practical questions about human input, creative control and disclosure. Rodgers says his team shaped the project and instructed the AI. The criticism, as represented in the report, focuses on the resulting imagery and whether AI is appropriate in a creative project tied to charity. The available material does not establish how the charity proceeds are handled or what production methods were used for each part of the video.
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Rodgers’ Earlier Views on Technology
This is not Rodgers’ first public defense of new music technology. In 2023, he compared generative AI with tools such as the drum machine and sequencer, arguing that new technologies can enable music that otherwise might not be made. His comments then addressed music-making tools; the current dispute concerns visual production for a music video.
The work involves a refreshed version of a song released in 2020 with Rebecca Ferguson as a charity collaboration. Rodgers’ initial post described a capture process and referenced the Sphere as inspiration. The report identifies the video as AI-assisted, but the supplied details do not establish whether every image or figure in the shared stills was generated, captured, or altered using AI.
““Do you have a problem with CGI? I can’t believe you’d go on record without even seeing what I’m doing.””
— Nile Rodgers, replying to a commenter on Instagram
What the Production Details Show
The supplied report does not establish which parts of the video were generated with AI, how much footage involved photogrammetry, or how the team combined captured material with generated imagery. Rodgers’ description of the process is his account; the specific production steps are not independently detailed in the material provided.
The final video’s status is also unclear. The report said a post listed November 20, 2026 as its expected release date, but it does not confirm whether the video appeared on that date. The charity’s role, the use of any proceeds and any response from Ferguson are not specified.
Awaiting the Full Video
The next clear point for viewers is the release of the full video, which may allow them to assess the finished work beyond the stills and production comments already shared. The date cited in the report was November 20, 2026; whether that schedule held is not confirmed by the supplied information.
Further details from Rodgers or his team could clarify the tools used, the division of work between people and software, and the charitable arrangement connected to the release. Until then, the debate rests on Rodgers’ account and the limited images described in the report.
Key Questions
What is Nile Rodgers defending?
He is defending the use of AI in a music video for a new version of “The Christmas Song,” after viewers criticized images he shared online.
Who is featured in the project?
The project is a new version of the song Rodgers recorded as a 2020 charity collaboration with Rebecca Ferguson. Stills described in the report show both performers.
What did Rodgers say his team contributed?
Rodgers said the team developed mood boards and storyboards and directed the production. He said they “painstakingly created every second,” though the supplied report does not independently detail which elements used AI.
When was the video due to be released?
The report said a post listed November 20, 2026 as the expected date. The supplied material does not confirm whether the video was released then.
Source: consequence.net
