And the Grammy Goes to… AI? When the Search for Convenience Begins to Leak into our Art Spaces  

To no one’s surprise artificial intelligence not only poses a threat to real world jobs but also the culture and essence of our arts. Our never-ending search for shortcuts and convenience is not only eroding our attention spans and making us lazier but also destabilising creative processes that we deemed exclusively “human”.

Throughout the World Cup last month popular French Afrobeat song “Pilé” was dubbed the unofficial World Cup song of 2026, primarily across TikTok and Instagram. Originally recorded by French Congolese artist Mauvais Djo in August of 2025, the new gospel remix of the song was released in May was created with AI vocal layering which quickly garnered popularity, with 44 million views on YouTube. The song’s gospel version presented well with younger audiences, becoming a symbol of celebration and pride during the World Cup particularly among French and Congolese fans.

Needless to say, the integration of AI into music spaces is not new as last September the online music world was in uproar at AI generated artist Xania Monet, who had just landed a $3 million dollar record deal with Hallwood Media.

This created an outpour of commentary about the effects of AI in music spaces with many people voicing their opinion and even popular American R&B artist Kehlani strongly speaking out against the use of AI in music, condemning it on their TikTok account. Billboard highlighted this in their article. “Nothing and no one on Earth will ever be able to justify AI to me.” Kehlani remarked in a TikTok video. “I don’t respect it”.

Another recent event involving AI use in music is American rapper Tyga who released his 1980’s inspired album titled “$TARFACE” last month and has been open online about his use of AI during the process of recording his album. Despite the backlash he received, he likened his use of AI to auto-tune, stating that “there is nothing wrong with using technology as a tool”.

In an industry that is built on life experiences and human emotion and expression the inclusion and use of AI in music goes against the true nature of music as an art form itself. Although AI is relatively new and easy to detect now, what happens when it advances and becomes undetectable in the future?