will.i.am is worried about "mad tech" ruining the music industry

Speaking at a Cannes Lions panel, he said: "Music will always be music. Whether or not there is an industry is questionable. I don’t really know how we make money moving forward because of the tsunami called mad tech - there was mad men and now there’s mad tech, it transforms everything.

"[The tsunami] toppled our industry to the point of, how do we make money? People still listen to music more than they ever have before, but we have no hardware of our own."

Meanwhile, the 40-year-old star previously revealed technology has ruined his past relationships.

He said: "No matter what it is, you can't escape it. Some people could say that's unfortunate. I say it's a gift.

"For me, that's an awesome thing. It's not been good for relationships though, I can tell you that."

And will.i.am has no plans to go on a technological "detox".

He added: "Some people search the web and use social platforms for rubbish. And that's cool, because for them that's an escape from reality. Then there are those who use the internet to materialise impossible things and make them possible.

"The digital world is just a physical manifestation of one's mind and if those people weren't on the internet, they would be thinking about those things anyway right? Because when you have those types of ideas, there is no way to detox - you cannot escape from the bombardment of ideas and inspiration."