We’re told that AI was inescapable in pop music this year, but I escaped just fine. Considering the embarrassing amount of money and hype wasted on AI-generated music this year, resistance was easy. But those technologies result in music only when deployed by human decisions — and, as listeners, much of our pleasure still lies in identifying those human decisions. But if we’re listening to music made entirely with generative AI, there’s no guessing game to play, no dancing to be done. And if sentient pop musicians ever figure out how to collaborate with generative AI in innovative ways, the innovations will be human.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 01, 2026 03:42 UTC