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IN THE TRENCHES I BY CYPH SHAH THE CULTURE CLASH IN CREATION
I n a previous column I made mention of the new AI tools sprouting up in the music in- dustry. If you’re not hip to that, I’d suggest brushing up because we’re officially in the eye of the storm. In a not-so-surprising turn of events, the public is pushing back against artists who are utiliz- ing AI-generated resources to side step the traditional methods of content creation. But therein lies a bit of hypocrisy that consumers may need to put into perspec- tive. Understandably, it can be a confusing point of contention on an ethereal level because art has long been a pillar of human- ity. It has served historians as a cookie crumb trail to understand- ing ourselves, leaving clues that facilitate our ability to recognize the emergence of abstract con- scious thought, emotional ties, milestones of intellect reflected in symbolism and so much more. When uncovering lost civiliza- tions, we always look at what methods of art were formed that encapsulates not only their cul- ture at the time, but their core way of life. Now all of that is on the chop- ping block. How will future civi- lizations look back on the work we produce today? The salient word here is artificial. Are we sacrificing a part of humanity, or should we embrace that which spawns from our own creation by extension? Should we toe the line? And is “the line” even as
A breakdown of AI’s disruption of music, authenticity and the future of creativity from one industry retailer’s perspective.
defined as we perceive it to be?
AI-generated. The lyrics were written by the original artist, but the fact that the vocals didn’t stem from a human caused an outcry of falsehood. Pitchforks and torches were raised high in defiance. Subsequently the track was pulled from Spotify, then recorded with a human vocalist, and redistributed.
In the EDM production world, an industry that commonly uses plugin presets, prerecorded top loops and FX samples, that was the first notable example of public shaming cast upon a creator for partially using AI in an otherwise original work. Was this the first and last public ousting of its kind as we continue to bring AI into
THE INSTANCE At the tail end of 2025, an EDM track (“I Run” by Haven) hit the charts and quickly gained mil- lions of streams. It didn’t take long for it to become denounced by the masses after it was un- covered that the vocals were
28 I MUSIC INC. I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2026
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