The future of AI in music? US and China strike different chords
As generative music tools surge, China turns to state oversight while the US relies on courts, copyright suits and settlements
Dressed like 1970s rock stars evoking bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Velvet Sundown look the part of a real band – with one key difference: despite millions of listeners, they do not exist. The group is generated by artificial intelligence.
AI-generated music is exploding, with the rapid expansion of platforms like the United States’ Suno and Udio, as well as China’s Mureka. From creation to copyright, the technology is making waves globally. But the US and China are approaching it in very different ways, and the ways they shape the technology – and what ultimately prevails – could shape the future of how artists work and how listeners consume for years to come.
“I would describe AI music as a full-on tsunami,” said Josh Antonuccio, director of the Ohio University School of Media Arts and Studies and an AI music industry expert. “It’s really something that everybody is trying to figure out in real time.”