The proliferation of sophisticated audio-generative tools has flooded the internet with algorithmically derived melodies and vocals. While some users admit to using these platforms, others deny their involvement until public pressure forces a confession, prompting a movement among EDM producers to protect human artistry from AI-generated content.
The Rise of Algorithmic Mimicry
Generative audio platforms now produce music based on the existing work of human artists. This technological shift has led to a surge of AI-generated content across the internet, creating a environment where it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between authentic compositions and those derived from algorithms. Some creators attempt to pass this material off as human art, maintaining denials about their process until scrutiny increases.
As audio-focused generative tools and platforms have gotten more sophisticated, the internet has become increasingly filled with AI-generated music whose melodies and vocals are algorithmically derived from the work of human artists. While some of the people pumping out this kind of content immediately own up to using AI, others have denied using the technology until increasing public scrutiny forced them to tell the truth.
For musicians — especially those creating art in technologically-focused spaces like electronic dance music — the increasingly complicated question of what is “real” and what isn’t feels particularly urgent and personal. Professional courtesy can make this only more complex; listeners can call out performers they suspect of using gen AI, but it’s something else for artists to raise concerns about their professional peers.
He feels that true art in any medium is “created by people that are trying to express feelings and messages,” and he believes that the only thing AI boosters are really interested in is making a quick profit.
The Philosophy of Human Artistry
EDM producer Max Harris argues that true art requires the expression of messages and feelings, viewing AI-generated material as a decoy form. He contends that generative technology does not advance art but instead provides a mechanism for stealing real work for profit. To Harris, being an artist involves making hundreds of informed creative decisions to evoke specific emotions, a process he believes is bypassed by AI users.
“I don’t consider AI-generated material to be art, and I don’t think this technology is really advancing art in any meaningful way,” Harris said. “It’s a technological advancement that’s giving people a way to steal real art and pass it off as their own.” Harris, originally from Maine, described his approach to making music as being fairly similar to working in other creative mediums.
“Each of those decisions — and there’s hundreds of them to go into each song — brings me closer to evoking a specific kind of idea or emotion,” Harris explained. “And then once I have a song mapped out, I have to start making even more choices about how to mix it in a way that makes it sound good and presentable.” In Harris’ view, being a real artist means being able to make those kinds of experimental but informed creative decisions using your own studied understanding of a given medium.
One of Harris’ biggest issues with gen AI is the way the technology often eliminates a user’s need to think about how songs (or books, films, podcasts, etc.) come together.
Technical Markers of AI Production
Identifying synthetic music often involves spotting specific sonic artifacts. Harris notes that AI-generated tracks frequently feature a sharp hissing sound, which he attributes to models starting with white noise blocks and guessing waveforms based on real song data. He cites "Midnight on My Mind" by MANSA and "Take Me (To The Moon)" by Danny and Ian Asher as examples of this trend.
But he has also been dismayed at the way that AI posers are muddying listeners’ understanding of what human-made EDM actually sounds like. “Aside from the similar vocals, you can usually hear a sharp hissing throughout the track,” Harris said of AI-generated songs.
The Human Production Workflow
Authentic EDM production involves a complex array of hardware and software, including Ableton Live, Serum, Diva, Kontakt, and various MIDI controllers. Harris describes his process as starting with a core concept followed by iterative experimentation. This workflow culminates in precise mixing choices designed to make the sound presentable, contrasting sharply with the automated nature of generative AI tools.
Key signals
- Increased use of audio-focused generative tools to mimic human artists.
- Emergence of a callout culture within the electronic dance music community.
- Detection of specific sonic artifacts, such as sharp hissing, in AI tracks.
- For musicians — especially those creating art in technologically-focused spaces like electronic dance music — the increasingly complicated question of what is “real” and what isn’t feels particularly urgent and personal.
- MANSA, Danny, and Asher have not publicly commented on whether they use generative tools in their music.
What to watch
Whether artists like MANSA or Danny and Ian Asher respond to allegations that their work is algorithmically produced.