During High School I spent all my time I wasn't working or training trying to serve my community to make an impact on the world without using any money. That was one of my main things I looked for in a college, the ability to have opportunities to better the community and better myself by helping others. With just finishing my first year, I came to the small town of LaGrange from giant Jacksonville, Florida; a 5 hour and 36-minute drive (on a good day).
I never knew how going to such a small school in such a small town would change my life for the better. The small town that seems to have nothing is actually perfect for this giant city girl. It showed me how much of an impact I could make in my community, being a student the school basically forces you to get involved and help by fixing houses in the local area and gives you many different contests throughout the year to win t-shirts by donating canned goods.
Getting involved in Alpha Omicron Pi, just made it even better. The amount of money our sorority raised for different causes was completely shocking to me. It slowly sank in that we have 3 different sororities and 3 different fraternities just on our small campus that are ALL making a huge difference in the world. Then each sorority or fraternity has hundreds of thousands of chapters across the whole country. Through LaGrange College and AOII, I'm able to make more of an impact helping the community than I ever thought possible.
All freshman are required to take a class called Cornerstone, where we focused a lot on the impact we can make in people's lives by helping them. We read books and heard lectures from different people who changed everything about their lives to be able to help the world or their community. My particular class read a book (Outcasts United by Warren St John) about all the different refugees that had relocated in Clarkston, Georgia. The book talked about how one women brought over one hundred different kids with all different ethnicities together through their love of soccer. Our class went and visited the school that students were required to attend and saw how much of an impact on person made in all these children's lives.
LaGrange College may be in the middle of a small "beat-up" town in Georgia, but LaGrange College is teaching all their students how just one person can make a huge impact. If that isn't something to celebrate and embrace, then I don't know what is.
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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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