Imagine spending weeks rehearsing for your first proper showcase, and you only discover that one of the acts sharing the bill with you is powered partly by AI. That is exactly what happened at Sydney’s Mixed Bag event on July 1, where emerging musicians were joined by Afro Charles, an act using AI-generated content.
And honestly? I don’t think AI should have been booked there.
Not because I think AI has no place in music. It clearly does. Musicians have always used technology to create, edit and experiment with sound. The problem is the context. Mixed Bag was designed to showcase emerging artists. According to ABC News, musician Aidan Sammut was frustrated because of the spot given to the AI act, instead of given to a human band which is trying to get started in the industry.
That is the part that bothers me.
An emerging artist showcase is not just another playlist. For a new musician, getting a live slot means meeting an audience, building a reputation, making industry connections and, importantly, getting paid. Giving that same opportunity to an AI-based act changes what the opportunity actually for.
Aidan Sammut post an Instagram Reel says “A pretty unfortunate development for live music”. (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaRqxHySUak/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
But here is where I think the conversation gets more complicated. Afro Charles creator Damian Amamoo defended the project, saying the act’s Instagram identifies its use of AI and that a human still performs the vocals live. Rolling Stone Australia reported that booking agency Good Intent later apologised, saying it had unknowingly included the AI-generated act in the lineup.
So no, I don’t think the answer is ban AI musicians.
I think the answer should be stop treating AI acts and emerging human musicians as automatically interchangeable.
If a venue wants to book an AI act, fine. Put it on the bill. Tell the audience. Let people decide whether they want to watch it. But if the event is specifically selling itself as a platform for emerging artists, human musicians deserve to know exactly who, or what they are competing with.
AI can have a stage. It just shouldn’t quietly take someone else’s.
Megan Anne 
Imogen 
Jordey Petersen