‘America’s Got Talent’: Simon Cowell Praises Group as ‘Best Act of the Series’ But Fans Disagree

The America’s Got Talent judges might have been blown away by AI musicians Metaphysic after their performance Tuesday, but viewers didn’t necessarily agree with their glowing reviews. Chris Ume and Tom Graham of Metaphysic upped the ante from their jaw-dropping auditions while coming into the semi-finals, bringing out AI versions of Simon Cowell, Terry Crews, and Howie Mandel to sing their own rendition of “Nessun Dorma” on screen.

Having watched himself hit impossibly high notes, Cowell called the performance “the best act, I believe, of the series so far,” praising Metaphysic’s talent and uniqueness. Mandel joked, “It’s like Il Divo, but it’s Il Stupido. The fact that you had the gumption to actually use my own voice is amazing,” while judge Heidi Klum added, “Beautiful singing, the opera was amazing. And then when you swap the faces live right here, the whole thing is epic.” Sofia Vergara agreed, “I think it’s scary and I think it’s fascinating at the same time. I think you guys did a great job tonight.”

People watching America’s Got Talent at home weren’t so sure they agreed. “Technology is cool, but I got bored 30 seconds into the act,” one person commented on Twitter. “It’s digitized karaoke. Virtual Tupac at Coachella was better.” Another added, “If AI wins over raw human talent I can’t watch anymore. You do not want this technology people!!” 

A third social media user commented, “No offense, but I don’t really get this metaphysic act. Sure the technology is cool, but it’s basically the same performance as last time but in opera & more judges. I don’t think it’s remotely close to the best act of the season.” Another critic noted, “Metaphysic’s novelty has WORN OFF – I didn’t really get it the 1st time – seeing the real guys singing as the CGI of Simon/Howie/Terry is on a screen above them really just RUINS it for me – their CGI mouths don’t move in a natural way.”

America’s Got Talent fans can now help their favorite acts on the NBC show advance in the competition by visiting NBC.com/AGTVote or by downloading the America’s Got Talent app on Google Play or the App Store. America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with the results airing Wednesday nights at the same time.