Most high school seniors dreams of going to college. The phrase every senior is tired of hearing by graduation is "well in college..." and you can fill in the blank with any obscure thing that the individual feels like seniors need to know about college. These teachers, parents, and peers often forget to tell you what really happens in college though. They'll tell you how much more difficult the classes are, but what they won't tell you is the hours of studying you'll have to do just to get a passing grade. They'll tell you about midterms, finals, and dead day, but they won't tell you how much stress and anxiety these days will give you. You'll be pulling all-nighters to study for tests, write papers, do homework, and do projects that you still may not make an A on, and you become okay with that. They'll tell you how the professors won't deal with late work or being late to class, but what they don't tell you is that the professors understand it's your freshman year so they'll be lenient (sometimes). They'll tell you about living in the dorms, but not about sitting out in the hall at 3 in the morning with your neighbors laughing at nothing, or about the fire drills at 4 in the morning (those are the best). They'll tell you that you'll miss high school and you're hometown, and you'll think they're crazy, until your best friends since elementary school move hours away and you go from seeing them every day to being lucky to see them once a month. These friends understand that you're moving to go to college though, if you have pets you have to leave them too and you have no way of explaining to them why you're leaving. You'll hear all about the dreaded "freshman 15," aka the 15 pounds they say freshman gain their first semester of college, this myth has been busted and it is definitely true. With having a Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, and various other unhealthy restaurants in walking distance and no time to go to the gym, you will undoubtedly gain a little weight in college. Finally, they'll tell you about all the fun times, memories, and friends you'll make in college, but they don't tell you the abundance of these in which you'll have forever. The first week or two of college are the worst because you're in a new place with all new people and you feel like you'll never find friends or a group to call your own. Eventually though you'll find a group or a person that makes your university feel like home and make it so you could never imagine yourself anywhere else.
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
