During my senior year of high school, a friend of mine told me "sometimes it's okay to be selfish, sometimes you need to be" and this is possibly the most valuable piece of advice I have received in my entire life. I think it is important for everyone to realize this. My entire life I worked so hard to be as selfless as possible, even giving up my own happiness and self worth in the process, and until my friend said this to me, I never realized how detrimental that mindset was. It is absolutely necessary to live your life selfishly, as long as it is for the improvement of your quality of life. Don't take this to mean that you can go steal from a store because it will make your life better, because that's not what I mean. What I mean is that when you are surrounded by people who don't love you and don't care about your life and you are struggling and nobody is noticing, it is okay to be selfish and take care of yourself, even if that means leaving behind those that were hurting you. An important part of living selfishly is also learning to not apologize for who you are, and this is the part I am just now learning (and perfecting). Sure, you can live selfishly, but it doesn't matter if you apologize for everything you are and everything you do every minute of every day. You have to truly believe that you deserve to be selfish, and that includes getting rid of that feeling of guilt for who you are. Stop apologizing for who you are, because who you are is not a crime. In order to truly be happy, you have to focus on you and what you need, and that is all that matters. Your mental health is much more important than anyone else's comfort. You are going to lose friends along the way, take it from someone who has lost a plethora of friends along the same path. But that is okay. That is part of life and it is going to hurt and it is going to make you doubt this entire life philosophy, but in the end, those friends you lose, were never truly your friends. Friends understand when you need to focus on yourself, friends allow you and help you improve your mental health, friends don't guilt you for taking "me time", and friends don't make you hate yourself for focusing on your happiness. If you lose any friends in the process, it is a blessing in disguise. No matter which pieces of this advice you take, I want every one who reads this to remember that they are allowed to be selfish. You are allowed to change things in your life you don't like, even if that means leaving friends behind. You are in control of your life, stop letting the fear of what others think and feel take the wheel. Only you decide what happens in this life, so take control of it, be selfish, and make this life what you want it to be and what you deserve it to be.
Recommended for you
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
Trending Topics
Trending Stories
Best of Health and Wellness
![Cristina Yang and Meredith Grey in scrubs sit against a wall, smiling and enjoying a break.]()
![Woman in field with a red heart-shaped balloon under a colorful sky.]()
