EXHORDER frontman Kyle Thomas has spoken out against the growing use of AI-generated content in music and art, saying he would rather commission human artists than rely on the technology, even though he holds "no really strong feeling against it" in principle. His comments, made in an interview with Capital Chaos TV, come as some of his peers have admitted to using AI for album covers, posters and even music production. Thomas argued that AI effectively "picks the brains" out of existing art and music without compensating the original creators, and warned it could put artists out of work.

Thomas cited his own band's approach as an example, noting that "Defectum Omnium" (2024) featured cover art by Travis Smith, and praising his friend Scott Guion, a working artist who recently designed a Corrosion of Conformity album cover and has produced murals and New Orleans Jazz Fest posters. He likened AI's impact to self-service checkouts replacing shop workers, saying he would rather see a human "get that contract, get that job." The interview also touched on line-up changes within EXHORDER, including drummer Sasha Horn's March 2026 departure and the band's ongoing search for a permanent replacement, with Thomas now the group's sole remaining founding member since forming in the late 1980s.