The legendary duo weighs in on the AI debate. Against all odds, the biggest threat to country music right now (and music as a whole for that matter) is not lazy lyrics, uninspired production or the constant need to shove 808 beats and electronic percussion into nearly each and every song occupying the Top 40 on country radio. While those still are quite annoying, at least they’re created by humans. Today, the fight against AI infiltrating music is not just a concern but a genuine threat. At this point, we’ve already seen an AI-generated song top the Billboard Country Digital Songs Sales chart in recent weeks. Whiskey Riff reported that a track titled “Walk My Walk,” by an artist called Breaking Rust, had seemingly fooled the masses. It’s a complete AI creation all around – from the artist, to the music video, to the song itself. However, when you dig into the weeds surrounding the Billboard Country Digital Songs Sales chart, you quickly find out that the chart is not only extremely outdated due to the simple fact that not many people consume music via digital downloads (streaming on services such as Spotify and Apple Music are still on top). Additionally, it’s quite easy to manipulate via bots and members of the team behind Breaking Rust simply buying the song over and over using different methods. With that being said, it seems like Breaking Rust and the developing story surrounding AI music in is just the tip iceberg, and that iceberg is not only massive in size but extremely concerning to those that are champions of authentic (and I can’t believe I have to say this now, human) music like we are here at Whiskey Riff. In fact, the most concerning story regarding AI music broke this Wednesday. According to Bloomberg News, some of music industry’s biggest labels have signed on to be a part of a new, AI music streaming service called Klay. The Los Angeles-based music technology company has decided to enter into the music streaming space, and what they’ve convinced UMG, Sony, and WMG to be a part of seems rather scary: “Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group have licensed their catalogs to Klay, an AI-powered music streaming startup that will let users remake songs using artificial intelligence.” Oh boy. Klay says their large music model “reimagines listening with immersive, interactive tools and is trained entirely on licensed music,” and they have apparently been working with some of the biggest parties in the music industry for over a year to “to build an innovative and comprehensive licensing framework for an AI-driven music experience.” Somehow, they are also promising that their AI streaming service will be “fully respecting the rights of artists, songwriters, and rights holders,” but I’m not just sure how that will be true, or how it will be policed. Simply put, this sounds like an absolute nightmare for anyone that has any ounce of respect for art, the artists who create it and those who simply are against blatant plagiarism that is inherently tethered to the use of AI generation. And now that new stories of AI artists are popping up seemingly out of nowhere, it’s been the cause of concern for some of the biggest artists in the genre today. After taking home their record-breaking 20th career CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 59th Annual CMA Awards this Wednesday, Brooks & Dunn were asked their thoughts on the growing concern of AI infiltrating the music industry at a post-show press conference. In typical Ronnie Dunn fashion, he simply quipped, “Now we’ve got to go outdo the robot.” Kix Brooks, on the other hand, gave a more thorough answer to the question. Saying what pretty much all of us are thinking at this point, Brooks would point to the fact that these AI “artists” aren’t actually creating anything at all, nor can they connect to an audience in any form. Citing the fact that they can’t actually perform on a stage or be seen, he’d note that audiences won’t connect to the inherently soulless nature of AI. “There’s one thing that a machine can’t do… even if you come up with some rhymes and whatever, and people buy into it or whatever, a machine’s never going to be able to get on stage and do the thing. People that really buy into artists and really create careers that last for a long time, they really appreciate the fact that you wrote those songs, and I know I do, when I’m watching somebody.” Their quotes echo similar statements from the likes of Riley Green, Charley Crockett and Jason Aldean, all of which weighed in on the use of AI this week after the reports of Breaking Rust topping the aforementioned Billboard chart has caught steam over the past few weeks. “An AI-artist might have the No. 1 country song right now, but AI can’t play a live show.” – Jason Aldean “AI ain’t nothin but a business man. They’ve been playing money guitar out here for years which ain’t done nothin but speed up the revolution. I never claimed to be more authentic than anybody else, only defended myself against those who felt threatened by my existence in this game. That’s a fact jack. You can’t stop what’s coming. And the more you try the faster it comes.” – Charley Crockett “But I’ll say I don’t think there is any AI situation where you can really put true emotion into something. You can say this or that, but the storytelling is what I think makes country music. So I think only a human who’s been through those emotions and felt them can really do that… Yeah, let your calculator write that song!” – Riley GreenThe post Brooks & Dunn Weigh In On Growing Concern Of AI In The Music Industry: “A Machine’s Never Going To Be Able To Get Up On Stage” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.