Artificial Intelligence

Doug E. Fresh is much more open-minded than most of his peers when it comes to artificial intelligence affecting the art ... he's straight up calling it "an enhancement" to human abilities!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with the beatboxing pioneer Wednesday in NYC, where he urged fans and artists not to fear the AI revolution taking jobs ... something Krayzie Bone told us last year he fears when we raised the topic.

"The World's Best Entertainer" was lending his support to Pencils of Promise ... an education organization geared toward spreading modern education to children in Ghana, Guatemala and Laos.

Speaking of younger generations, Doug believes they'll adopt AI tools much easier in the years to come.

Doug compared AI's origins to when the drum machine entered the world of hip hop ... effectively replacing live instrumentation, and he's confident humans will still be in control.

Former "Million Dollar Listing" star Fredrik Eklund says his new AI real estate expert isn't here to take jobs from agents like himself -- instead, he says this tech can spark market growth.

Fredrik joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to introduce the world to Maya ... the world's first real estate guru completely powered by artificial intelligence. It's a product that took him and his team 18 months to get up and running, and he explained why he's so incredibly proud of what Maya can do.

He says Maya helps both sides of the housing market and even comes with her own personality -- and while you might think websites, like Zillow and Redfin, already simplify the home buying experience, Fredrik told us why Maya takes it to the next level.

Simply put ... the way you tour open houses is going to change dramatically in the next few years, and Fredrik believes Maya will be an integral part of that revolution.

AI has become a hot-button topic lately, with folks -- including Hollywood writers and actors -- worried the new tech will take peoples' jobs as it advances.

Drake and The Weeknd already don't rock with the Grammys, so the possibility of their unauthorized AI collaboration winning an award likely won't mend any fences.

Still, that's the scenario Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. is floating when it comes to the controversial "Heart on My Sleeve" -- the AI-generated track that surfaced in April featuring faux vocals from the Canadian megastars, but convincing enough to be a hit.

Ghostwriter -- the anonymous human creator behind the track -- submitted it for both Song of The Year and Best Rap Song for the 66th Grammy Awards next year.

Mason tells the New York Times he was impressed with "Heart on My Sleeve" as it opened up possibilities for their business and declared it suitable for nomination ... "As far as the creative side, it's absolutely eligible because it was written by a human."

If Ghostwriter earned just a nomination, it could spearhead the next evolution of artists: human songwriters who use other people's artificially-generated voices!

Drake and Weeknd's record label Universal Music Group doesn't share Mason's enthusiasm. When the track was released, the label had it pulled from DSPs ... leaving it to lurk in the internet's dark recesses. This Grammy development offers the song, and others like it, a new light.

The Weeknd and Drake have been boycotting the Grammys for years, going as far as to withdraw nominations and refuse to submit heir own music.

On the other hand, Ghostwriter isn't letting up off the digital throttle in the wake of his new career strides.

He released a new AI concoction Wednesday titled "Whiplash," featuring CPU-generated soundalikes for Travis Scott and 21 Savage -- 2 more artists to piss off, but also another possible path to the Grammys!!!

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