By Cici Dedyo
For the past year or so, it doesn’t feel like a day in my life has passed without some sort of mention about AI. It’s everywhere. While AI is not new by any means, there has been a more recent cultural shift in which AI feels more relevant, exciting, and scary than ever. There’s no denying that AI is seeping into almost every aspect of our lives, and music is no exception.
In October 2025, Universal Music Group and Udio, a music focused AI developer, reached an agreement in their 2024 copyright infringement lawsuit. The lawsuit also included the Recording Industry Association of America, Warner Records, Inc., and Sony Music Entertainment who claimed Suno and Udio infringed copyright by training models on the labels’ recordings.
UMG even announced an alliance with the two companies, in order to develop the next generation of music generation tools through an artist-centered approach. Their goal is to enhance artist and fan experience through enhancing responsibly trained AI tools, while protecting artists and rightsholders from copyright infringement and unlicensed training.
Even more recently, Klay Vision Inc. became the first AI music startup to sign a licensing agreement with all three major record companies, WMG, UMG, and SME. A press release states Klay’s tech will “help further evolve music experiences for fans, leveraging the potential of AI, while fully respecting the rights of artists, songwriters, and rightsholders.”
If you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em.
New data released by a popular French streaming service says that there’s 50,000 AI songs uploaded daily and that 97 percent of listeners cannot fully distinguish between an AI and human created music. The Hollywood Reporter partnered with the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami to conduct a survey that found 52% of Americans are not interested in listening to AI-generated music. Yet for all their hesitation, clearly many fans might not even recognize an AI-generated song if they came across one.
What if I told you that this blog post was written completely with AI? It’s not, but these days it can sometimes be hard to tell if writing, videos, images, and in this case, music are AI.
So how can you distinguish between AI “slop” and music that actually has a brain and soul behind it?
According to BBC, AI-generated music often adheres to generic verse-chorus structures and the lyrics are likely to follow a grammatical structure, which is often not the case with human songwriting styles. Songwriting thrives on the freedom to ignore perfect grammar and let rhythm and emotion drive lyrics. And when emotion is missing, that’s usually a strong indication the track came from AI. While it may be the case that some human-written songs also seem to lack authentic emotion, you can usually feel the lack of soul behind AI-generated music.
I decided to go ahead and test a few AI song platforms to learn more about what they really offer to an average user. I pondered the type of song I wanted to “write” as I searched the web for platforms with free trials. I landed on Suno and Mureka.
I prompted Suno to create “an indie pop song with lyrics about being in my childhood home in San Francisco” and I instructed Mureka to generate “an upbeat modern rock song with lyrics about falling in love.” Each platform generated two versions of the requested songs. Each version had the same lyrics, but slightly altered melodies.
When I pressed play, I was greeted with pretty catchy melodies.
I was honestly impressed by how the engine took my vague prompt and created a whole storyline of lyrics:
“My old room whispers of dreams I let go/ The carpet is stained with a story I know
The walls here remember the laugher, the splinters/But they don’t hold me like he does”
That’s not half bad! Other lyrics were a little more questionable, but overall the song had a clear purpose.
Ironically, my favorite song I produced was one I created just by accidentally clicking the generate button with no prompts at all. This song was electronic and synth heavy. If I heard it at a dj set or in a club, I do not think I would identify it as AI. I can definitely see how this genre of song could successfully be made completely using AI, as most electronic songs have simple lyrics and focus on a repetitive rhythm.
However, with all the songs I generated, there was just something missing. The songs felt shallow and repetitive. While the music itself was enjoyable enough, it was missing the human to human connection that music is meant to create. AI cannot replicate the depth of human emotions. As a listener, it’s difficult to truly connect with a machine’s version of human emotion.
All that being said, I do think that if I didn’t already know the songs I created were AI and I was just passively listening, I might not immediately notice they were artificial. And that’s the real issue. If companies can release AI-generated music knowing many listeners won’t catch the difference, what does that mean for songwriters and artists?
Some UK artists have taken a stand to stop the UK government from allowing AI platforms to steal artists' work in order to train their AI models without payment or consent. Paul McCartney recorded a silent track, as part of a silent LP titled, Is This What We Want. The album captures the sounds of a recording studio with no music being played, representing how original music and artists creativity will be silenced if AI has access to their intellectual property.
Last November, an AI generated song, Walk My Walk by Breaking Rust (not a real human by the way), hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales Chart. Personally, this gives me an eerie feeling. Part of why I love music is because I appreciate how much of themselves artists put into their music. Artists' vulnerability is what makes people resonate with a song. A good songwriter can make you connect with their music, even if you have never experienced what their lyrics are describing. The way an artist uses the rawness of their voice to convey emotion, or their freedom to throw grammar to the wind to create memorable lyrics all contribute to unique, human-created music. Can AI ever truly replicate this? Do we want AI to be able to replicate this?
I don't want to claim that all AI is bad in relation to song creation. I think AI is a tool we are adapting to and using to our advantage in all industries. AI as a supplement for music creation could be a very helpful tool. It is clear that AI is contributing to an evolving music industry and as AI becomes more and more intertwined with our lives, I am curious to see how both artists and listeners continue to respond. Personally, I think music is one of the most universal forms of human connection, and because of that, I believe true artistry will always prevail.
Sources:
Universal Music & Stability AI partnership
Universal Music Group and Stability AI announce strategic alliance to co-develop professional AI music creation tools. Universal Music Group. https://www.universalmusic.com/universal-music-group-and-stability-ai-announce-strategic-alliance-to-co-develop-professional-ai-music-creation-tools/
UMG settles lawsuit, strikes licensed AI music deal
Universal Music settles Udio lawsuit and strikes deal for a licensed AI music platform. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-music-settles-udio-lawsuit-strikes-deal-for-licensed-ai-music-platform/
AI tracks flooding Deezer; listeners can’t tell the difference
50,000 AI tracks flood Deezer daily as study shows 97% of listeners can’t tell the difference between human-made vs fully AI-generated music. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/50000-ai-tracks-flood-deezer-daily-as-study-shows-97-of-listeners-cant-tell-the-difference-between-human-made-vs-fully-ai-generated-music/
Paul McCartney’s new release criticized for minimal sound
The Sound of Silence: Why there’s barely anything there in Paul McCartney’s new release. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/17/the-sound-of-silence-why-theres-barely-anything-there-in-paul-mccartney-new-release
Warner Music Group signs AI licensing deal with Klay
Warner Music Group signs licensing deal with AI music company Klay. Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/news/warner-music-group-signs-licensing-deal-with-ai-music-company-klay/
Music industry groups sue AI companies over training data
Music industry groups sue AI companies for stealing artists’ work to generate music. Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/news/music-industry-groups-sue-ai-companies-for-stealing-artists-work-to-generate-music/
Survey on AI, artist pay, and streaming music
AI, artist pay & streaming music — The Hollywood Reporter.
BBC on AI music and copyright concerns
BBC News article on AI music, copyright, and industry reactions. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ylzjj5wzwo