For those of you who have yet to venture into
college yet, is it not your favorite feeling to walk in through the front door
after school and hear the click clack of paws hitting the floor? All of sudden,
you see a fur ball with a face running at you full force ready to shower you in
kisses and welcome you home after an entire day of being separated. If you own
a dog, you cannot lie and say this isn’t a daily routine. Unfortunately, at
this very moment, if I were to see a dog it would be the first time in 2.5
weeks. So for all of you seniors I only have one thing to say: savor the time
you have with your dog.
They are
the only ones who will truly be there when you all you need is a cuddle. I am
convinced dogs have a sixth sense and the ability to tell when you are sad or
need them to just sit with you. This may just be me, but having my pup sit with
me when I’m not in the best mood can do more wonders than if anyone else were
to try and comfort me.
Don’t
forget to appreciate the fact that you get to hang out with the cutest animal
on this earth on a daily basis. You have the ability to be surrounded by a pet
who will never stop loving you. You have got a pet who loves you with all of
their being, and this is not something to brush off. You have got an animal who
doesn’t care that you just made the largest mistake of your life: they still
love you for you. They don’t see all of your imperfections and the things you
don’t love about yourself.
Before
college, there were a lot of things my dog did that I found to be annoying and
bothersome to my day. She rang the bell to go outside —yes, my dog rings a bell
to go outside— and then walked away as soon as you would reach the door to let
her out. She begged like no other, and I constantly found myself eating dinner
with a chorus of barking in the background. She would even decide that in the
middle of the night there was a reason for her to bark at the wall. Yet at the
end of the day, when I come back from class, I don’t walk into my room to see
my own puppy coming to greet me. When I’m not feeling too hot or happen to be
in a bad mood, I don’t have that one friend I want to sit with. I don’t have my
dog. There is a list of things I wish I would have savored over the course of
my pre-college life, but my dog is at the top.
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
