Can AI Really Make Art?
The Debate Behind the Silent AlbumHave you heard the silent album?
You can find it on Spotify, titled “Is This What We Want?” by “1,000 UK Artists.”
It’s not a glitch—this album is entirely silent.
Backed by over 1,000 UK artists, it’s a protest against the British government’s plans to allow AI companies to train models on music without needing permission from copyright holders.
Now, as both a music creator and a computer scientist passionate about machine learning and AI…
This is a fascinating (and honestly, conflicting) topic for me.
Let me take you back.
Last year, a friend and I stumbled across an app called Sumo—a generative AI for composing music.
I expected it to pump out something robotic, some weird space-age sounds that no human would actually want to listen to.
But from the very first song I generated, I was floored.
It wasn’t just passable—it was good. Like, “if this came on in a shop, I wouldn’t even question it” good.
All I had to do was feed Sumo a basic idea—a storyline or a theme—and it did everything else.
- It wrote lyrics with clever rhymes.
- It composed full tracks—drums, guitars, synths—all genre-appropriate.
- And then, it had an AI actually sing or rap the lyrics over the beat.
It was hilarious and mind-blowing. My friend and I were in stitches, not because it was bad, but because it was scarily good.
But then came that uneasy feeling.
As a tech person, I was in awe of the engineering. The complexity. The creativity of the tool itself.
But as a musician? I was unsettled.
Would Bob Dylan’s music have been as influential if it had come from AI?
Of course not.
Because music isn’t just chords, lyrics, and structure—it’s the why behind it.
I know, “real art” sounds pretentious, but here’s what I mean: art born from personal experiences, raw emotion, and an individual’s unique path through life.
Not something created purely to hit commercial goals or optimized for streams.
That’s what worries so many artists about AI.
It’s not just about copyright. It’s about preserving meaning in art.
But here’s where it gets complicated—AI isn’t going anywhere. And it can be an incredible tool for musicians if used ethically.
So, where’s the line?
Should AI models be allowed to train on copyrighted music without permission?
Or does that risk diluting the very thing that makes music meaningful?
Food for thought.
Read more about the silent album here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyd3r62kp5o