Just around this time last year, I received an email about campus housing for my freshman year. Before I arrived on campus, I had heard just about every horror story of “going random” for roommates. Surprisingly, however, I wasn’t nervous at all.
Since I was going to a college in-state, I was expecting a girl from the next town over. But after exchanging a few emails with my future roommate, I learned that she was not only out-of-state, but also from another country.
Maria is from Norway.
Before I met Maria, I knew absolutely nothing about Norway except that it is a country in Europe. I honestly thought it was an island until I bothered to look at the country on a map.
On that hot, sweltering move-in day last August, we clicked instantly and became fast friends. We exchanged giggles and eye-rolls during goofy orientation activities as well as drool over pictures of food on Instagram. Early on in our relationship, I learned that we actually aren’t that different from one another.
We have great conversations and I learn so much from her. It’s fascinating to hear what crosses over culturally from the United States to Norway. As an American, I assume the world knows our culture. Occasionally, I would make some references to Maria and she wouldn’t get them. For the most part, however, our pop culture is relatively the same thanks to the Internet. They have Netflix in Norway so we were able to gush and bond over shows.
Language is another interesting component to our relationship. During the beginning of the year, I would teach her some American slang and she tried to teach me some words and phrases in Norwegian. She caught onto English phrases right away, while I struggled to pronounce simple Norwegian words. Although I usually grasp languages with ease, I have only mastered Norwegian dog and cat sounds—“voff” and “mjau.”
Since Norway does not have Thanksgiving, Maria came to my house over break to celebrate the holiday with me and my family. It was a lot of fun spending time with her and being her tour guide when we visited the National Gallery, the White House, and other monuments in Washington—something we DC natives hardly ever do.
In all honesty, I probably would have survived my freshman year with a roommate who I wasn’t as close with—let alone from another country—but I doubt my experience would have been half as great. I loved just being able to talk to Maria about anything—even if we were just complaining about how the dining halls had grits instead of oatmeal that day.
Maria is an incredible person and I am so grateful to have made such a wonderful friend my first year in college. She and I have fun either going out to parties or staying in and eating junk food and watching Gilmore Girls. Even though I have known her only a year, I have learned so much from her, as well as how differently an international student experiences going to college in the United States compared to your typical American student. Maria has become one of my closest friends and confidants and I know she is someone I can count on.
This summer, I’m teaching myself a bit of Norwegian with the hope that I can communicate with Maria in her native language. It has taken me a while, but I am slowly mastering words and phrases. With all my efforts, however, I mainly hope that maybe, just maybe, I might be fluent enough to read her snapstories.
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
