SZA took to Instagram on Saturday to criticize artists such as Suno for using AI music generators, claiming that producer Diplo owns stock in the company and was trying to train “the best and brightest black minds in writers and producers.”
“We make up 13% of America’s population, but we influence the world with our sound and perspective,” she wrote in the caption on her private Instagram account, “notmusicatalliswear.” “I haven’t heard the white AI song yet… There is no protection in the Legislature, medical or creative. Easiest to steal. Don’t give up your vibranium!!! Don’t train your genius into AI.”
A representative for Diplo did not immediately respond. varietyIn response to a request for comment, he spoke positively about Suno and its use of AI.
SZA took her frustration out on her main Instagram account, which bears her name, claiming in a story post that a search for her name revealed an AI model was trained on 238 of her songs.
“If your [sic] Are you a musician and you support this depraved shit? your [sic] “It’s disgusting and there’s nothing you can say to me to make this okay. I hope you get to live the life you deserve,” she wrote.
Representatives for SZA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Suno spokesperson declined to comment, pointing to a LinkedIn post from Jack Brody, the company’s chief product officer, saying last week that Suno’s training metadata does not include the artist’s name, the material used in the training cannot be duplicated, and that Suno is working to improve impersonation detection.
SZA’s frustration with the music industry’s adoption of AI reflects the different stances musicians have taken toward the technology, ranging from acceptance to exclusion. Last month, Jack Antonoff called those who use AI to make music “Godless whores” and “villains” who are “willing to expose their despicable acts”, while producers such as will.i.am and Timbaland are investing in AI companies. Sony Music, which owns SZA’s label RCA Records, has also been actively pursuing lawsuits against Suno and competitor Udio, but labels Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group have settled lawsuits against the music production company. (These settlements another lawsuit against the label by the American Federation of Musicians).
Diplo has taken a similarly direct approach, calling out artists who disagree. Using technology. He said in an April interview that he doesn’t need a human voice on his truck anymore because “there is no fighting AI” and “you can get the best voice from AI.”
“Customers and accessibility always win,” Diplo said. “There’s no such thing as ‘choosing artistry or hard work.’ You can talk about that all you want, and some people will like it, but 99% of people would love the best product that was made the quickest and the cheapest. That’s the American economy.”
In a follow-up post to X, Diplo wrote that artists “need to adapt until everyone has a Waymo, or give up and become an Uber driver.”
“I know it’s not cool or classy to talk like this, but I’m not going to sugarcoat the future. It is what it is,” he wrote. “Sorry to be a purist and give you bad news. Human mind and touch will always be needed, because AI will never suffer from bipolar disorder or autism like me and other creative people.”
It’s unclear whether Diplo, who invested in AI research startup Aaru earlier this year, is actually a Suno investor. Suno CEO Mikey Schulman said earlier this month that “the best artists, producers, songwriters and people from across the music industry” contributed to the company’s $400 million investment round, but Suno representatives declined to reveal which artists. Suno is currently testing a WMG-assisted model.
