Generative AI Has No Place in the EDM Scene

Using generative AI is the antithesis of creativity, self-expression, and authenticity, all values the EDM community stands for. Artificial intelligence used to be a far-fetched villain warned about in old science fiction stories. Today, it’s embedded in technology to the point that it’s inescapable. Customer service is offloaded to chatbots, human-written articles are buried below Google’s AI overview, apps are overrun with AI features, and social media is inundated with AI-generated art. In music, generative AI may be used as a tool for many things, from simply brainstorming ideas to fully creating the vocals, lyrics, and melodies in songs. More broadly, it can generate album art, promotional flyers, press releases, or visuals for performances. It may be convenient and cheap. But the data centers running these programs are burning through our water supply, causing noise pollution in surrounding communities, and causing an over-reliance on AI that poses detrimental cognitive effects and consequences for the job market. As AI becomes more commonplace in every area of life, questions are arising over what is acceptable usage of generative AI in creative spaces. In the EDM scene, the...