Basslines & Boardrides

Hello, welcome back to Basslines and Boardrides today we’re going to talk about something that’s very important to me. The rise of AI in the music industry.

Over the past few years there has been an uprise in the use of AI in art, in April of 2023 “Heart on my sleeve” was released, the song was an instant hit, racking up millions of streams on TikTok and Spotify. However something was off about the song, what was it you may ask? It was an AI generated track, mimicking the voices of Drake and The Weekend. The revelation sent shockwaves across the internet and music industry, raising questions about the use of AI in art. Was this the beginning of an Era where anyone could drop a hit using AI?  It appears so, since 2023 AI “musicians” have made billboards, helped to write current hits, and covered popular songs, discrediting the original artists, many of which put years of hard work and creativity into their music. The issue isn’t just AI being used in art, but the people who willingly consume and support AI slop.

In 2025 Xania Monet was the first AI “Artist” to debut on multiple billboard charts, although the first it was certainly not the only. By November of 2025 at least six AI or AI assisted artists had made Billboards, of course that number could be higher seeing as it’s become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between AI and art. But what baffles me more than automated junk making billboards is the people who willingly listen to it, I’m not going to sit here and act like the only issue is the people producing AI trash, consumers are just as much of a problem, and frankly it’s embarrassing. AI has taken an industry that was once full of emotion down to an agonizingly dull level, music is supposed to be raw and full of emotion, it’s supposed to spark human connection, how can it do any of that when its being made by an emotionless robot? How can you resonate with art with no soul? For the future of art to have any soul left to it we need to stop supporting the use of AI.

While consumers are a very clear problem, so are musicians and producers who actively support AI. Grimes a Canadia singer and songwriter launched a website to allow people to us AI clones of her. I cannot physically wrap my brain around why you would willingly want a soulless robot to clone your voice. Along with Grimes American artist and composer Holly Herndon has also launched a website that allows AI’s to make music using her voice. Even Paul McCartney has admitted to using AI to isolate John Lennons voice from an old demo of “Now and Then” while former band mate Ringo Starr has spoken up about his fears of AI saying “Anyone who knows how to use it can steal you. If they just play any five of my songs into the computer, AI gets all of it and knows my every vocal move.”

AI has also been used to create covers of hit songs, big companies like TikTok and YouTube have embraced them. Numerous artists have been victims of AI covers from Taylor Swift to Michael Jackson to Queen, even Elvis has been a victim of AI. Brands no longer care enough about keeping the music industry alive, using AI generated slop instead of buying the rights to the songs. AI has deteriorated the value of art, removing the creative aspect by generating whatever the user asks for on a whim. It is soulless and disrespectful to people who have spent their whole lives creating music. Freddie Mercury, the lead singer for Queen has been a frequent victim of AI covers and cloning, deteriorating the value of music that he as well as the rest of his band members spent years perfecting. Elvis Presly is also a major victim of this; his voice being used to generate new songs or remix old ones. In my opinion this is an injustice to actual artists who have spent years perfecting their music with thought and feeling, only for AI to be able to generate it in a matter of minute. We need to stop supporting the use of AI in art before it is too late.

Imagine a kid in 20 years, he’s a big Freddie Mercury fan, or at least he thinks he is when in reality every song he’s heard has been an AI generated cover. Pretty sad thought huh? Well, that’s a future that’s rapidly approaching if we don’t put an end to the use of AI in every form of art, not just music. Do you want your children to grow up in a world where they can’t tell if a song is real or AI? Do you want your children to grow up in a world where they think their favorite band is The Beatles when it’s just AI slop stealing people’s original art? I know I don’t, I would hope you don’t either, but we need to stop this madness before that is the outcome. Please open your eyes, look around, and ask yourself when will enough be enough?  

Thank you for reading and please be mindful of the impact that the use of AI can have on the creative arts.

As always.

Bass in my veins, salt in my hair, grip tape on my soul.

-C