0:00
What did you think of that
0:05
Did you like the singing? Well, what if I told you that was an entirely AI-generated voice
0:12
and that artist on the screen just signed a multi-million dollar record deal
0:16
that real artists aren't too happy about? Grammy-nominated singer Kehlani is making her feelings clear about it
0:26
Nothing and no one on earth will ever be able to justify AI to me, especially not f***ing AI in the creative arts in which people have worked hard for
0:39
So how did we get here? Like other AI artists we've reported on, there's always someone behind the scenes
0:47
For Zania Monae, that someone is Mississippi poet Talisha Jones who writes the lyrics
0:56
Her voice is built using Suno the same AI music platform backed by Timbaland who posted that Zania is quote killing it Billboard reports the bidding war ended with a million deal at Hallwood Media suggesting the payout will go to Jones and her team
1:14
While Jones can sing on her own, a marketing executive told Billboard not as well as Zania
1:20
That executive also said most of the lyrics are based on Jones's true stories
1:26
and fans in the comment section relate to what the AI artist is singing
1:30
And it's not just Kehlani. Artist SZA says AI devalues music and posted about the environmental and physical costs data centers bring to communities
1:43
This AI artist already has just under 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and 7 million views on YouTube
1:51
But it's still unclear what the label actually bought since the songs themselves are AI generated and monetizing them gets complicated
2:00
Meanwhile, Suno is still facing several lawsuits related to copyright infringement. With Straight Arrow news, I'm Kennedy Felton
2:09
Download our app or visit SAN.com for more
