How can you tell if your new favourite artist is a real person?

Crew, Jemma, and Mark Savage. “How Can You Tell If Music Is AI-Generated?” BBC News, BBC, 22 Nov. 2025, www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ylzjj5wzwo.

This article discusses the creation of music using AI. The use is still controversial, with many artists opting to not want their music to be used to train AI models. Despite this, there are artists who have experimented with AI music. Many opt to be transparent about their use of AI, however, it is still not required by law to state that AI was used. According to a recent survey, 97% of respondents were unable to tell if a song was AI generated. Some ask, does it really matter? If the song is good, then its origin is irrelevant. This raises an ethical issue that is yet to be answered.

I enjoyed reading this article, as it again starts to question the nuanced questions that are more ethical than obvious. I’d say where the music comes from is important, and it should be stated if it was AI generated. Otherwise, there’s a level of dishonesty behind the work and we have to wonder why you wouldn’t want people to know. If the audience is okay with AI-generated music, so be it. But I’d personally be unhappy if I was enjoying a song and later found out it was AI generated and not the work of an artist or creative team. Part of the appeal of creative work is the authenticity and relatability of the stories behind the song. Sure, the song may sound nice, but it is only a poor replication of what AI thinks music is.