Dressed like 1970s rock stars evoking bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Velvet Sundown look the part of a real band – with one key difference: despite millions of listeners, they do not exist. The group is generated by artificial intelligence.
AI-generated music is exploding, with the rapid expansion of platforms like the United States’ Suno and Udio, as well as China’s Mureka. From creation to copyright, the technology is making waves globally. But the US and China are approaching it in very different ways, and the ways they shape the technology – and what ultimately prevails – could shape the future of how artists work and how listeners consume for years to come.
“I would describe AI music as a full-on tsunami,” said Josh Antonuccio, director of the Ohio University School of Media Arts and Studies and an AI music industry expert. “It’s really something that everybody is trying to figure out in real time.”
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From modern voice changers that allow singers to change their style or tone to Spotify’s DJ function, the music industry’s use of AI is not new. But generative platforms have put sophisticated tools in the hands of amateur musicians and ordinary fans, upending the way people create and shape music, from songwriting to production.
Both countries have at least one thing in common: they are facing key legal and ethical questions about copyright, creativity and control in this new cultural battleground. But even here, the approach differs.
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