Guns N’ Roses Invites You to a Surreal A.I. Journey in the Mind-Bending ‘The General’ Video

Image by Reddit User: u/kostaslakta

As the world eagerly anticipates the long-awaited sequel to Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy album, the iconic hard rock band treated fans to a taste of what’s to come on Wednesday (Jan. 24). They released their first-ever A.I.-generated music video for the 2023 single “The General.”

This mesmerizing collaboration with Dan Potter, the creative director of London-based studio Creative Works, combines 20 live performance vignettes from GNR’s concerts with vibrant, rotoscope-like images of a young boy navigating a futuristic world. Described as a “vertiginous dive into the subconscious of a young boy facing dark childhood memories,” the video blurs the lines between realities.

Amid neon nightmare visions of a city at night, the video seamlessly weaves in live footage of the band on stage. Axl Rose’s face becomes a canvas for skeletal projections, with A.I.-generated characters transforming into the band members as they rock out to the dynamic song.

Since reuniting with founding members Slash and Duff McKagan in 2016, Guns N’ Roses has been touring globally, and rumors have circulated about sessions for their first album of new material with the original members since the 1991 double disc Use Your Illusion I and II. Alongside “The General,” GNR released the rocking ballad “Perhaps” last August, believed to have originated from the Chinese Democracy sessions. September also witnessed the launch of an extensive Use Your Illusion I & II box set, featuring 63 unreleased tracks and videos.