Black Eyed Peas co-founder is instructing a category – on AI : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5633x3992+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F86%2F38%2Fb65182a34c7ba5406faf8efa30a6%2Ffile-1773785226823-ed49ad24-80de-4259-9740-4b0e471f72a4-20260114-will-i-amagenticselfclass-002.jpeg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5633x3992+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F86%2F38%2Fb65182a34c7ba5406faf8efa30a6%2Ffile-1773785226823-ed49ad24-80de-4259-9740-4b0e471f72a4-20260114-will-i-amagenticselfclass-002.jpeg" class="img" alt="Pop star-turned-Arizona State University professor will.i.am teaches “The Agentic Self” at his headquarters in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2026." fetchpriority="high"/> Pop star-turned-Arizona State College professor will.i.am teaches "The Agentic Self" at his headquarters in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2026. Emily Choi/FYI.AI conceal caption

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Emily Choi/FYI.AI The Black Eyed Peas spoke to a technology within the 2000s with tracks like "I Gotta Feeling," "Let's Get it Began" and "The place is the Love?"

These days, nevertheless, co-founder will.i.am has been chatting with a brand new technology – fairly actually – together with his three-hour-long, weekly lessons for Arizona State College on the theme of "agentic AI."

Both beamed in on screens from Arizona State's essential campus, or proper there with him on the lecture theater he constructed as a part of his enterprise complicated in Los Angeles, the roughly 80 college students enrolled in will.i.am's class are every making an attempt to construct their very own AI agent – a software program system that may carry out duties autonomously, with out requiring a human immediate.

The artwork of future-proofing As somebody who has lengthy projected a tech-forward picture – it was will.i.am who got here up with the a lot quoted lyric, "I am so 3008. You are so 2000 and late" from the Peas' 2009 track "Increase Increase Pow" – the pop star turned philanthropist, entrepreneur and educator is now working to equip younger individuals for an employment market that is being reshaped by know-how.

"You're a firm, Dave. You are not identical to a inventive dude," will.i.am mentioned throughout a current class, sounding extra like a motivational coach than a university professor as he addressed people within the tiered seating round him. "You are an organization – Claudia – Karen."

College students informed NPR they get quite a bit out of will.i.am's method.

"Not all people that is coming inside this class has a tech background," mentioned undergraduate Ren Flint. "He is been capable of break AI down and make it accessible to everybody."

"Some individuals may assume what he is speaking about is perhaps bizarre," mentioned graduate pupil Luke Azariah. "However this man is future-proofing plenty of us."

Realizing wild concepts with tech In an interview with NPR just a few hours earlier than class, will.i.am mentioned people can not hope to compete with AI except they're hyper-creative.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x2011+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe8%2F16%2F63f13b5e4d3aa1dbdb1868605212%2Fgettyimages-126261673.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x2011+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe8%2F16%2F63f13b5e4d3aa1dbdb1868605212%2Fgettyimages-126261673.jpg" class="img" alt="Members of the Black Eyed Peas — apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and will.i.am — at the 2011 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada." loading="lazy"/> Members of the Black Eyed Peas — apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and can.i.am — on the 2011 iHeartRadio Music Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. Isaac Brekken/Getty conceal caption

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Isaac Brekken/Getty "It is the best time to dream and materialize ideas that have not been materialized," he mentioned.

Realizing wild concepts with tech is mainly what is going to.i.am has been as much as for many of his life. Born William Adams in 1975 in a working-class Los Angeles neighborhood, will.i.am mentioned he was 12 years outdated and experimenting with stage names – his first moniker was "Will Chill" – when he took his sister's Barbie and the Rockers cassette tape, recorded his personal rap loops over it, after which performed the combo again by his sister's cassette-tape-powered, animatronic Teddy Ruxpin toy bear.

"My sister was pissed," will.i.am recalled.

The musician and entrepreneur mentioned there is a direct hyperlink between this early experiment and "MÖFO" – or "Modular Omni Perform Operator" – the AI agent-powered Teddy bear he developed in partnership with Qualcomm and confirmed off at this yr's Shopper Electronics Present in Las Vegas. The agent will not be a toy, will.i.am mentioned, however is meant to enhance productiveness and studying. However he mentioned the lovable exterior helps to humanize AI.

Foreseeing the "increase increase pow" It is too early to inform if "MÖFO" will take off. However the man appears to have a knack for predicting the technological improvements probably to go "increase increase pow."

Take AI music.

It is turn out to be massive information over the previous couple of years. However will.i.am was taking part in round with it effectively over a decade in the past, as seen within the music video for the 2010 Black Eyed Peas track "Imma Be Rocking That Physique."

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"I simply kind within the lyrics. After which this factor sings it, says it, raps it, talks it," he says to his bandmates within the video.

Singer Fergie is visibly upset.

"We're not robots!" she exclaims, earlier than storming out of the room. Then the music begins, accompanied partly by pictures of pleasant, dancing robots.

Competing pursuits?

At this time, the cultural backlash in opposition to AI and AI music is widespread. So will.i.am devotes plenty of time in his Arizona State class to discussing ethics and accountability. A video performed throughout class warns of the dangers: "You have seen how company brokers are used. You have seen what occurs with no guardrails."

But will.i.am has additionally embraced company tech. He is an investor in AI corporations like Anthropic and OpenAI, in addition to the AI music creation platform Udio, and has partnered with Apple, Intel and Nvidia, amongst different Silicon Valley giants.

"He was an excellent model ambassador," mentioned Deborah Conrad, a former chief advertising officer at Intel who employed will.i.am as the corporate's Director of Artistic Innovation in 2011.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2592x1936+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F20%2F61%2F6c6e5fee48988b68949ba368b33f%2Fdeborah-conrad-and-will-i-am-on-stage-announcing-his-appointment-as-director-of-creative-innovation-january-2011-at-the-companys-international-sales-and-marketing-conference-jan-2011.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2592x1936+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F20%2F61%2F6c6e5fee48988b68949ba368b33f%2Fdeborah-conrad-and-will-i-am-on-stage-announcing-his-appointment-as-director-of-creative-innovation-january-2011-at-the-companys-international-sales-and-marketing-conference-jan-2011.JPG" class="img" alt="Intel's Deborah Conrad and will.i.am on stage announcing his appointment as director of creative innovation in Jan. 2011, at the company's international sales and marketing conference." loading="lazy"/> Intel's Deborah Conrad and can.i.am on stage saying his appointment as director of inventive innovation in Jan. 2011, on the firm's worldwide gross sales and advertising convention. Courtesy of Deborah Conrad conceal caption

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Courtesy of Deborah Conrad Tech journalist Brian Service provider mentioned it is onerous to reconcile these seemingly competing pursuits.

"That line between ardour for know-how, ardour for the concept it may make individuals's lives higher, and simply increasing his market portfolio and his salience as a pop cultural icon, will get fairly blurry in there," Service provider mentioned. "However that does not essentially imply that he isn't real in his purpose to attempt to determine a option to get AI to work."

will.i.am will not be the one high-profile musician to have ventured into the world of tech. He co-founded Beats Electronics with Dr. Dre (and report trade government Jimmy Iovine), which was offered to Apple in 2014 as a part of a deal that additionally included Beats Music for $3 billion. Nas, Snoop Dogg, Brian Eno and Justin Bieber have additionally invested closely in tech.

Nate Sloan, an assistant professor of musicology on the College of Southern California and co-host of the podcast Switched on Pop, mentioned will.i.am stands out from the pack. "willi.am has made it extra part of his id and extra of an integral a part of his profession than anybody else I can consider," he mentioned.

Alongside all this, will.i.am's music profession continues to be going. The Black Eyed Peas are heading out on an abroad tour in June. Past his work with the Peas, will.i.am additionally launched the anti-ICE anthem "East LA" final yr, although it has been just a few years since he launched a success single or album as a solo artist or with the group.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8469x5689+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F30%2Fa35ca5634d3483726f2f11611317%2F10-trinity-on-the-xr-stage-h.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8469x5689+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F30%2Fa35ca5634d3483726f2f11611317%2F10-trinity-on-the-xr-stage-h.jpg" class="img" alt="A prototype of "Trinity," will.i.am's three-wheeled electric vehicle is equipped with an agentic AI system to help increase productivity while driving." loading="lazy"/> A prototype of "Trinity" on show at will.i.am's enterprise complicated in April, 2026. The three-wheeled electrical automobile is supplied with an agentic AI system to assist enhance productiveness whereas driving. Emily Choi/FYI.ai conceal caption

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Emily Choi/FYI.ai He appears extra targeted nowadays on his entrepreneurial and academic pursuits. Amongst different tasks, he is creating a automobile with an AI agent. And he mentioned he is hoping to show a second semester at Arizona State.

"The fun of constructing music and singing on stage, we'll all the time do this," will.i.am mentioned. "However instructing is that this completely different calling. That is simply the primary yr, and it is dope."