AI-generated Music Floods Charts, Raises Copyright Concerns – and Fools Listeners
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – november 15, 2025 – A surge in artificial intelligence-generated music is rapidly reshaping the industry, with AI artists achieving chart success and sparking legal battles over copyright. Recent data reveals a notable portion of listeners are unable to distinguish between human-created and AI-produced songs, raising questions about the future of the popular music scene.
spotify announced in September it had removed 75 million pieces of “spammy AI music” from its platform this year. together,AI-created tracks are topping Billboard charts. The song “Walk My Walk” by AI artist Breaking Rust recently reached number one on Billboard’s Country Digital Song sales chart. Earlier this month, virtual artist Xania Monet became the first AI artist to top a billboard chart, claiming the top spot on the U.S.Billboard R&B Digital Song Sales chart and securing a $3 million (approximately 4.4 billion won) record deal.
The rise of AI music is prompting platforms like Spotify to develop tools to detect AI-generated content and tag 100% AI-produced songs. However, a key legal challenge remains: according to Forbes, songs created entirely by AI currently do not qualify for copyright protection in the U.S., as the U.S. Copyright Office recognizes only works created “through human intervention.”
Despite this, most AI-generated songs are currently receiving royalties through the same channels as traditionally produced music, as streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music haven’t established clear policies.
This legal ambiguity has led to lawsuits. Last year,major record labels including Sony Music and Worldwide Music filed copyright infringement suits against AI composition programs Suno and Udio,alleging the algorithms were trained on copyrighted material without permission. Suno responded, stating, “Our system is not designed to simply copy existing songs, but to create wholly new results.”
Concerns about the impact on human artists are growing. Ed Newton Rex, founder of the non-profit institution Fairly Trained, stated, “AI’s use of work without permission to create similar products leads to a loss of revenue from human artists.”
The increasing sophistication of AI music generation, coupled with the difficulty in detection – with reports indicating 97% of listeners are fooled – suggests a potentially dramatic shift in the music landscape.
