There it was in big, bold letters. Welcome to the Class of 2029. Our little babies were going to be kindergarteners soon. That's when it hit us. We were going to be 70 years old the year that our little guys graduated from high school. What have we done? What were we thinking?
This was not our first parenting rodeo. Our oldest son started kindergarten in 1995, and our two daughters began a few years later in 1998 and 2001. We looked around the school auditorium and realized that most of these nervous and anxious parents were probably half our age. In fact, many of them could have been the age of our grown children. We knew that we stood out like a sore thumb. The people around us probably wondered why we were there. Fortunately, some familiar faces started to greet us, and we temporarily forgot about our concerns. We were there just like all the other parents waiting with anticipation to hear about the school's kindergarten program. We knew our little guys were ready to start their educational journey. It was time.
Our little guys are adopted. It was not our plan; it was not our goal. It just happened. They were placed in our newly-licensed foster home in an overnight emergency when they were five months old. That was in July 2011. Five years later, our overnighter has become a lifetime. After a series of unfortunate and unexpected circumstances, our little guys had to remain in foster care much longer than anyone had anticipated. On March 14, 2014, we received a call from the county prosecutor. After multiple hearings, both at the county and state levels and years of custody battles, the county had won permanent custody of our twin boys. The prosecutor wanted to know if we were interested in adopting them. What had started as a phone call of asking us to accept five-month-old infants in an overnight placement had become a phone call of lifelong parenting. After meeting with lawyers, financial advisors and most importantly our grown children, we knew we couldn't turn our backs on our little guys. Our family permanently adopted Brian and Matthew on October 20, 2014.
So here we sit. Another 13 years of parent-teacher conferences, science fairs and book reports. Welcome to the Class of 2029.
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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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