Will.i.am fumes social media 'must change' in wake of Liam Payne's death
Musician will.i.am has said that there needs to be a major change behind the scenes at social media companies over hate speech and trolling after Liam Payne's death
The Voice UK judge will.i.am is blaming social network bosses for allowing hate speech and online trolling on platforms. The Black Eyed Peas star, 50, believes social media giants, not the music business, hold the key to young stars' welfare.
He said: 'The place that is seeded with the most hate is the algorithm. If the algorithm amplifies hate, that means people are going to be the worst and say the worst. It's what we do on these platforms that scars and is weaponised to bring the worst out of everyone."
He was speaking at the 11th Breakthrough Prize ceremony, which honoured science and mathematics luminaries. He made his plea to key players at Silicon Valley's biggest brands – Google, Facebook, X and YouTube.
He added: 'They need to change the algorithm to be more mindful, especially nowadays as AI is growing. Do we want an AI that reflects how inhumane humans are to humans? That would be the worst configuration imaginable.'
In recent weeks stars like Robbie Williams have proposed that record labels offer greater support to young artists dealing with the challenges of fame and fortune in today's digital world.
The Black Eyed Peas star, who was close friends with the former X Factor judge Liam Payne, paid tribute to his pal on the red carpet. "I pray for Cheryl and her kid. I pray for Liam's spirit and his family," he said.
Liam died aged 31 in Argentina after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires in October. An autopsy on his death states this was consistent with a fall from height, located on the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel on Godoy Cruz Street.
The Sistema de Atencio Medica de Emergencia said in a statement on October 16: "British musician Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo."
Liam's cause of death was ruled down to "polytrauma and internal and external bleeding." Liam's internal and external haemorrhages in his skull, chest, abdomen and limbs all contributed to his death. Meanwhile, a UK inquest confirmed he died from "polytrauma" from multiple traumatic injuries.
During his time in the country, the musician turned out in support of his former band mate, Niall Horan. In what was his final appearance in public, Liam was seen in a VIP box alongside the crowds at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires.
Fans were ecstatic to see him and filmed him enthusiastically clapping along before he took the time to shake hands and interact. As he jumped down closer to them he was seen singing along to Summer Lovin' from the Grease soundtrack. He was wearing a dark denim jacket and plain white t-shirt.
At the time, clips of Liam dancing and interacting with fans went viral on TikTok with some cruel trolls branding him 'cringe' and slammed him for acting awkward.
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