Iconic rock band accused of using controversial photos for new album art: 'Really disappointing'

Classic rock band Rush allegedly used AI-generated images for their 50th anniversary album's artwork.

In an Instagram post announcing an upcoming tour and album to celebrate their 50th anniversary, the band credited their usual cover artist, Hugh Syme, for the artwork. People immediately pointed out that something was off. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rush (@rush)

"That is AI 100%," one commenter said, using Syme's previous work with U.S. metal band Dream Theater as an example. "Items are out of place, too symmetrical, etc…"

Even so, a few spoke up in defense of Syme, claiming that the images were simply drawn in his unique style. 

One commenter claimed to have worked with him, saying, "I sincerely doubt Hugh is using AI now … he would not even touch 3-D programs. … He paints by hand in Photoshop with a tablet and shoots photo elements to work with."

Neither Hugh Syme nor Rush have made official statements on the controversy. If it is AI, however, it's not a great look. 

Further, while one image generation is not world-changing, it does use about as much power as an entire fully charged cellphone. More commonplace usage like this drives up demand, too. According to MIT News, "The computational power required to train generative AI models … can demand a staggering amount of electricity, which leads to increased carbon dioxide emissions and pressures on the electric grid."

"Staggering" may be an understatement. It's predicted that by 2026, North American data centers will annually consume over 1,000 terawatts of energy. That's more than the entire country of Japan. 

Electricity isn't the only thing data centers run on. They also demand freshwater to cool down their servers. Forbes reported that, as of last year, they're on track to use up 6.6 billion cubic meters of water by 2027. 

Do you worry about robots taking away our jobs? Absolutely Yes — but it will create new ones too Possibly — but not significantly Not really Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Businesspeople and researchers alike are seeking solutions to this mounting issue. Microsoft's zero-water cooling initiative has resulted in a great reduction in water usage. And scientists at the University of Texas are developing materials to save energy at data centers.

Hopefully, though, people will still be more mindful of their AI usage in the future.

"That's clearly AI art," one user commented. "Really disappointing coming from my fav band."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.