Although you four are all no longer here on Earth to celebrate the upcoming holidays with the rest of the family, the memories we still have of each of you remain.
They remain within the many holiday traditions our family still has; from the use of the old nativity scene we still put up within our living room each year to the special dessert recipes that are still prepared and passed around after each holiday meal.
Each of you remain here in spirit. Still apart of our family's holiday celebrations through the medium of shared memories and of continuing Christmas traditions. Family holiday traditions such as watching old home videos, looking at photos of past holiday gatherings, and placing the many ornaments that were given during the past holidays onto the Christmas tree each year.
The many memories we shared of going to Christmas Mass and then opening up gifts on Christmas Eve while listening to classic Christmas songs will always be an integral part of the holidays.
Simple holiday traditions such as decorating homemade cookies, placing a pickle ornament in the Christmas Tree or even just eating a simple piece of herring on a cracker for the hope of starting the coming year with good luck are a few holiday traditions that are still practiced.
Each of these special memories we celebrated together during past holiday seasons now remain within our hearts. They are special memories transferred into physical reminders within the treasured ornaments that were exchanged at every Christmas Eve gathering.
These ornaments may have been a material gift but they were also a spiritual gift meant to symbolize a new Christmas memory as well as to mark a new year ahead for me as your grandchild. At the time I was too young to understand this abstract concept.
Each of your years of celebrating the holidays were coming to a close as mine were just beginning. Celebrating Christmas since each of your passings has changed my perception of the holidays and the traditions we practice over the years.
However, this is expected because life is constantly changing. Although by looking back at the many special memories I shared with each of my passed grandparents during the holidays I know their spiritual presences will forever be ingrained within each of the holiday traditions my family and I have continued to celebrate. Therefore even if my grandparents are no longer present physically they continue to teach me valuable life lessons during the future holidays via the past holiday memories we all shared together.
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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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