- You realize that you’re graduating sooner rather than later and have routine panic attacks about it.
- You realize you need to start seriously pursuing an internship. Your summer job working as a lifeguard just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
- You realize you need business clothes to interview for said internship. In what cruel reality did I get old enough to own a pant-suit?
- While the freshman girls show up to frat parties in heels and crop tops, you’re shot-gunning upstairs with guys you’ve known for years now in probably a sweatshirt and your comfiest jeans.
- It’s probably too late to switch your major at this point, so even if you haven’t found your “calling”, ya better figure it out.
- When you’re out and the first thing someone asks you “so, what house are you in?” Does it matter. Does. It. Really. Matter?
- You’ve learned the art of balancing the (almost) perfect amount of going out and heading to the library.
- You now know that you have no more time to fix your GPA “next semester”. It’s officially crunch time. Unless you take a fifth-year victory lap, which at this point, is totally plausible.
- You play “spot the freshman” according to whoever is wearing a lanyard around their neck, even though you did the same thing not too long ago.
- You start to wonder if you should just go to grad school instead of searching for a job. How does someone operate in the real world when we’ve spent the large majority of our lives’ in school?
- You start to be involved in clubs that you’re actually interested in, rather than signing up for everything just to add it to a resume.
- Half of your friends are now going fitness-crazy to burn off that undergraduate weight and the other half are embracing their beer guts.
- You can do anything and everything by yourself. Gone are the days of desperately looking for a buddy to eat with in the cafeteria. You can go to the library all night alone, a restaurant, shopping; you name it.
- You’ve taken all of the Gen-Eds, so now your schedule is packed with classes that are actually all difficult and mean something for your major.
- You truly realize which of your friends from home are in it for the long haul. Some of them faded away after heading to college, but the few and the proud still send you a text to check up.
- Happy hour is your time to shine. After struggling at the library all week and missing exchanges and other events, Friday afternoon is the time you look most forward to.
- When you do attend exchanges with frats, you’re going to look around and see that everyone is younger than you.
- You wonder where it’s acceptable to shop for all your clothing. It’s about time to stop running in to American Eagle for shorts and transition to J. Crew (that’s an adult store, right?).
- You go to music festivals and feel like you're surrounded by 16 year old children and you can barely keep up.
- You start to miss home in a different way than you did earlier on in college. You realize that you may not be spending as much time or summer breaks with your family now and start to cherish every moment.
- You realize that college really is some of the best years of your life and cherish every last moment.
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
StableDiffusion
The Illusion of Creativity
AI-generated music is often marketed as “artistic” or “educational.” But what does it really teach?
- That style can be replicated without understanding.
- That emotion can be simulated without feeling.
- That effort can be bypassed with a prompt.
For young creators, this sets a dangerous precedent. Why learn to play guitar when an algorithm can do it faster? Why study harmony when AI can generate chord progressions in seconds? The risk isn’t just laziness — it’s the loss of depth, discipline, and the tactile joy of creation.
I have listened to several AI-generated music covers. My initial reaction was one of considerable impressiveness, particularly regarding the reimagining of classic pop hits in diverse genres with novel arrangements. Here is one good example a-ha — Take On Me
However, after engaging with several such Ai generated song covers, a sense of emotional detachment emerged, attributable to the perceived absence of human artistry and genuine sentiment, resulting in a technically flawless yet ultimately soulless auditory experience.
Copyright in Crisis
What does the copyright law say about AI generated music, especially in field of music covers. Who is liable for copyright in this case, AI developers, people who used AI to generate music or people who published it on music platforms?
Recent lawsuits show that the music industry is pushing back hard:
- Universal, Sony, and Warner sued AI music platforms Suno and Udio in 2024 for allegedly training their models on copyrighted songs without permission Ars Technica The Lyon Firm.
- They’re seeking up to $150,000 per infringed song, arguing that the AI outputs resemble famous tracks and voices (e.g., Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson).
- These lawsuits target the developers of the AI tools — but they raise broader questions:The legal gray area is training data. Courts haven’t yet ruled definitively on whether using copyrighted songs to train AI counts as infringement or fair use Sites at USC.
But who’s liable?
Role | Legal Risk | Why |
AI Developers | ✅ High | For training on copyrighted material without licenses. |
Users | ⚠️ Moderate | If they intentionally recreate protected works. |
Publishers/Platforms | ✅ High | For distributing infringing content. |
The grey area lies in training data. Courts haven’t yet ruled definitively on whether using copyrighted songs to train AI counts as infringement or fair use. Meanwhile, AI-generated works themselves aren’t eligible for copyright unless a human provides substantial creative input — leaving them in legal limbo.
The Educational Mirage
Some argue that AI music helps people learn genres, production styles, or vocal techniques. But this “education” often lacks context. It’s like learning to paint by watching a printer — technically impressive, but creatively hollow.
True musical education involves:
- Struggle and iteration: Learning through mistakes.
- Emotional connection: Expressing what words can’t.
- Cultural lineage: Understanding the roots of sound.
AI shortcuts bypass all of this. And in doing so, they risk flattening the rich terrain of human creativity into a sterile landscape of algorithmic mimicry.
Why This Fight Matters
This isn’t just about music. It’s about the future of art, storytelling, and human expression. If we allow machines to dominate creative spaces, we risk turning culture into content — optimized, monetized, and devoid of soul.
We must ask: Do we want a world where art is made by machines, or one where machines help humans make better art?
5 Key Takeaways
- AI-generated music blurs the line between innovation and erosion in the creative arts
- AI-generated music raises questions about copyright, culture, education, and artistic expression
- AI-generated music can replicate style without understanding, simulate emotion without feeling, and bypass effort with a prompt
- AI-generated music sets a dangerous precedent for young creators by potentially leading to a loss of depth, discipline, and joy of creation
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