Thursday morning, I woke up at 3:40 a.m. to catch a flight home for Christmas. My original plan for this article was supposed to be a video diary of my travel experience and I really wanted to be witty. But then I realized that I was waking up at 3:40 a.m. to catch a flight home for Christmas. I try not to be witty until at least 9 a.m. Flash forward 4 hours and there I was, sitting on a plane that would take me from Georgia to California. There was a baby squawking three rows to the right of me and a woman next to me cackling at the movie she was watching.
Flying is a pretty cool way to travel. It's literally the height of luxury! However, there's a lot I hadn't considered about flying until that morning, when I was deliriously thinking about the deep mechanics of flight.
My first flight got in 20 minutes early and I couldn't help but wonder if it had ever occurred to anyone that pilots speed just as much as people in cars do? Essentially, a plane is a giant car in the sky, so the rules of the road apply: just in the air. This means that pilots can probably speed about 5-10 mph above the speed limit. Is there even a speed limit in the sky? How fast are pilots supposed to go on average? Is the minimum, like, 200 mph? Is there an air police plane that notes which planes are speeding? Does Google have these answers?
The most beautiful thing about traveling by plane -- or really traveling anywhere that entails changing time zones -- is how it's the closest form of time travel we'll get. By the time I got from the east coast to the west coast, I had experienced 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. twice. The math was too complex for me at the time, and even now if I'm being honest, so I can't compute how many hours that day was for me, but it was definitely more than 24.
One thing that would always freak me out about flying when I was younger was flushing the toilet. This is gross but I used to believe that our human waste would be dispersed into the atmosphere. Literally, I thought that when I flushed it would would directly open a hole in the plane to the outside and I would get sucked out of the plane. Which is why I would never use the bathroom while in flight. I grew out of that (thankfully). I know the truth, but it doesn't stop me from thinking that every time I flush. My heart still pitter-patters with a small amount of fright at the thought.
Planes are weird things if you think about them too hard.
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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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