🤖 Songs from a Machine: Exploring the Ethics of AI-Generated Music

A few nights ago, I decided to test the limits of what artificial intelligence could do in songwriting. I watched a YouTube video created by Rick Beato, which demonstrated how easy it is to create an AI-generated song. I opened Claude.ai, gave it a few prompts, and out came full-length lyrics. From there, I pasted the words into Suno, selected a genre, and adjusted a few parameters. In minutes, I had a complete, studio-polished song.

It was radio-ready. Cleanly produced. Emotionally compelling.

And I didn’t play a single note. I tweaked the lyrics to fit the music better and added some personal touches.

That experience left me equal parts amazed and unsettled.

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🛠️ My Experience: Two Songs from Nothing but Prompts

I’ve created two songs this way so far:

• “Detroit Dreamer” – a melancholy reflection of a 55-year-old who dreamed of being a musician, but sacrificed that path for family and responsibility. It explores themes of regret, gratitude, and the tension between duty and desire.

• “Fountain of Youth” – an upbeat, synth-inspired nostalgia track about going back to 1983, before social media took over. It’s similar to the song “1985” by Bowling for Soup, but instead of someone being stuck in the past, in this version, a grown man longs to return to his past. References to Risky Business, Valley Girl, Wally World, and Ms. Pac-Man were added by me, replacing some references I didn’t feel were quite right.

These songs felt like they were close to being radio-ready. They sounded like something I could have spent months crafting. However, the truth is that they took approximately 30 minutes in total, from lyric generation to full production.

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🤔 Who Owns AI Music?

When I asked Claude who owns the lyrics it generated, it responded clearly: You do. Since I created the prompts, the resulting work is considered mine. Legally, ethically, and creatively.

But is that the whole story?

Some questions linger:

• Is this really my art if I didn’t write a single melody or lyric by hand?
• Is AI merely a tool—or is it becoming a creative partner?
• Am I cheating the process, or redefining it?

It’s hard to know where to draw the line.

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⚖️ The Ethical Questions

There’s a growing tension in the creative world around AI-assisted or AI-generated music. Some of the big ethical concerns include:

🎤 1. Authenticity

People connect with music because they believe it’s rooted in human experience. If a machine generated a lyric or melody, does that undermine its emotional truth?

In my case, I created the prompts. I set the tone, the themes, the arc. But the polish and presentation came from AI. Is that still authentic? Maybe. But maybe not the way we’re used to.

💼 2. Attribution and Ownership

Most generative AI platforms (like Claude and Suno) grant full rights to the user (with Suno, it’s true as long as you are a current subscriber). But the training data used to create these tools often includes thousands of copyrighted works.

Are we indirectly borrowing from human creators—without credit or compensation?

🧑‍🎤 3. Artist Displacement

If I can make a song that sounds professional in 30 minutes, what does that mean for singers, lyricists, composers, and engineers?

Right now, AI can’t fully replace human nuance. But as it improves, some jobs will shift or disappear. That’s not science fiction—it’s already happening.

📉 4. The Value of Music

If anyone can churn out decent songs in minutes, does the value of music decrease? Will listeners care less if they suspect their favorite new track wasn’t written by a person?

The accessibility is great. The consequences, though, could flatten the emotional depth of the art form.

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🧠 My Take: It’s Not Cheating, But It’s Not the Same

When I listen back to “Detroit Dreamer,” I’m astounded. Not because I sang it or played the instruments—but because I shaped its message. I sculpted the vibe. I told a story that probably resonates with many.

Still, there’s a voice in the back of my mind that whispers: But you didn’t sweat over this. You didn’t struggle to rhyme or structure or mix.

That voice isn’t wrong.

Using AI doesn’t feel like cheating—but it also doesn’t feel like traditional artistry. It’s something else. A new category. Like being a creative director rather than a craftsman.

And maybe that’s OK.

Maybe the future of music will include:

• Traditional singer-songwriters
• Studio engineers and producers
• AI composers and prompt-based creators

There’s room for all of it. But we’ll need to be honest about how the music was made.

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🚪 Where This Might Lead

If AI continues at this pace, we could see:

• Entire AI-created albums
• Personalized songs on demand
• AI-assisted collaboration with real artists
• A redefinition of what “original” music means

And we’ll all have to decide what feels right—and what feels hollow.

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💬 Let’s Talk About It

Have you used AI to make music? Do you think it’s ethical? Dangerous? I’d love to hear what you think.

👉 Join the conversation on the dawtopia forum and share your experience.

🎶 Whether you’re pro-AI, skeptical, or somewhere in between—this is a moment we’ll remember. Let’s get it right.