Though artificial intelligence (AI) in the music industry first emerged as early as 2016, its breakthrough moment came in 2023, when an anonymous creator released “Heart On My Sleeve,” an AI-generated single cloning the voices of Drake and The Weeknd without their consent. The song went viral on TikTok and reached 600,000 streams on Spotify before Universal Music Group issued its take down.
Since then, we’ve seen a jump in AI-generated music. With its highest use being in EDM, nearly one third of artists in the industry use AI tools to help them during the creative process. Increasing AI usage demonstrates that it isn’t on the experimental level anymore, it’s reshaping how music is made and who gets to make it.
One of the most popular music generators at the moment is Suno AI. This tool lets artists create full songs using only text prompts. They type in a brief description of what they want their song to be about, and they get lyrics, vocals and instrumentals. This process takes seconds, a drastic difference from spending long hours in the studio.
This is one of the reasons why some believe that AI in music has its perks. It can reduce production time while still producing a decent product. It’s also a great tool for aspiring musicians who may not have the funds to access a studio.
Another popular tool is AIVA. Launched in 2016, AIVA became the first AI system recognized as a composer by a music rights organization. This tool can automatically compose original songs, and lets the user choose which genre to generate. It does this by using patterns it learned from existing music.
That is where the criticism begins. Some argue that AI-generated music can’t be original if it’s built on material that already exists. There is also the ethical issue of an artists’ voice being used without permission. Voice cloning and deepfakes remove control from artists’ over how their voices are used or portrayed.
This also creates legal uncertainty. Who owns the song –the artists whose voice is being imitated, the user who generated it, or the AI company behind the tool? Can AI generated songs violate copyright even if they are considered new works?
Like many industries, AI replaces the jobs of the whole production crew. If you have an AI tool that can create beats, vocals, verses, choruses and more, companies may question the need to pay an entire team. At the same time, streaming services such as Spotify use AI to deliver each user with personal playlists, which many enjoy. This raises the question of whether banning AI from the industry be beneficial if audiences continue to embrace and enjoy it
Musicians such as Bon Jovi, Billie Eilish and J Balvin have signed a letter created by the Artists Rights Alliance, stating that AI devalues music. The letter also noted that, if used responsibly, AI has the potential to advance human creativity. So far, however, AI platforms are ultimately being used to sabotage artists.
AI is rapidly transforming the music industry in innovative yet controversial ways. From viral AI-generated songs to advanced tools, it’s clear that AI has become a major part of the creative process. While it offers benefits such as faster production, lower costs and easy accessibility for up and coming artists, it also raises concerns about ownership, originality and using an artist’s voice without consent. Within the next decade, AI is expected to keep growing, so the future of the industry depends on finding a balance between the use of AI technology while also protecting the artist.
