Music Bridges Gaza’s Silence: AI-Powered Songs Share Palestinian Stories

Artist Uses Technology to Amplify Voices Amid Conflict

A growing movement is using online platforms to support Palestinians in Gaza, but financial aid often requires Western intermediaries. Now, one artist is leveraging artificial intelligence to directly share the stories and poetry of those affected by conflict, turning their words into music and providing a new avenue for support.

A Digital Lifeline for Gaza

Arriaga initially began assisting Palestinians by amplifying their fundraising appeals on social media. He quickly discovered the challenges they faced—limited access to platforms like GoFundMe and PayPal, and a reliance on strangers to manage campaigns. He was overwhelmed with requests for help, eventually pausing his outreach to avoid raising false hopes.

He connected with Fatima, a Palestinian woman whose poignant writings resonated deeply with him. Recognizing the power of music to transcend cultural and linguistic barriers, Arriaga envisioned a way to share Fatima’s poetry with a wider audience.

AI as a Creative Tool

Arriaga chose to utilize Suno, an AI music-production program, to transform Fatima’s poems into songs. He wanted to prioritize Fatima’s voice and perspective, avoiding the potential for his own interpretation to overshadow her message. Fatima approved the project, and Arriaga began experimenting with the AI.

The first song was based on a poem Fatima wrote about the loss of her son. “That was a tough one because the subject matter in it is just so intense,” Arriaga said. He used prompts like “Ghazzawi,” “Arabic female singer,” and “mother’s lament” to guide the AI’s composition, iterating through roughly 100 versions to achieve the desired emotional impact.

Direct Support Through Music

Arriaga plans to release the songs on Bandcamp and potentially other streaming services, ensuring that all earnings go directly to Fatima. This aims to provide a sustainable income stream, bypassing the limitations of traditional aid channels. According to the United Nations, approximately 80% of Gaza’s population relies on humanitarian assistance. UN OCHA

The Debate Around AI and Art

The use of AI in artistic creation is a subject of ongoing debate. Nick Bryan-Kinns, a professor of creative computing at the University of Arts London, notes that AI can lower the technical barriers to music production.

“I think the positive things, the gains, are maybe reducing the technical effort it takes to make a decent piece of music and get it to a quality that could be broadcast or listened to, downloaded and so on.”

—Nick Bryan-Kinns, Professor of Creative Computing

However, he also acknowledges concerns about the potential displacement of human musicians and the homogenization of musical styles. He emphasizes that Arriaga’s work demonstrates a creative process—listening, prompting, and refining—that goes beyond simply using AI as a tool.

Arriaga believes that AI can democratize art, offering opportunities to those who lack access to traditional resources. “I think that one of the benefits of AI is it can give people opportunities to create art that don’t have access to all the tools or maybe the money, or even sometimes the time.”

Listen to more songs produced based on the writings of Palestinians.