Over half of musicians would not admit to using AI in creating a track, study finds

Over half of artists using AI in their music-making process would not tell people that they are doing so, according to a recent survey from Pirate Studios.

The survey was conducted with 1,141 artists from around the Pirate Studios network, and while 25% said they had already experimented with AI, and 46% expressed their willingness to do so in the future, less than half said they’d actually tell listeners the music was created using AI. A further 53% of respondents said they had concerns about how the use of AI might be perceived by listeners.

The survey highlights how artists and fans are still conflicted about how AI is being used in music. Speaking about the results of the survey, co-founder and CEO of Pirate, David Borrie, said: “Understandably, artists are hesitant about adopting AI in the studio, and also hesitant about broadcasting their use of this controversial new technology. It’s useful to look back at the introduction of tools like Auto-Tune, which faced criticism in their early days, but eventually found their place in the music industry. AI’s journey toward becoming a standard tool in music creation may follow a similar path, as artists and audiences alike adapt to this innovation.”

When asked what stage of their music-making process AI would be most useful, the leading category was songwriting and composition, followed by research and inspiration, while beat and rhythm creation, mastering, and arrangement were all fairly even. 

See the full results of the survey here. 

Earlier this year, Ditto Music published their own survey that revealed 60% of correspondents were already using AI in their music-making process.