AI-generated music sparked a massive controversy in Nashville, Tennessee, after one such track topped a Billboard chart in early November, The Washington Post recently reported.
What's happening?
In October, a new country artist ostensibly emerged: Breaking Rust (@BreakingRust), whose breakout hit "Walk My Walk" topped Billboard's Country Digital Sales Chart in early November.
On Nov. 4, Billboard described Breaking Rust as an "AI-powered country act" with two songs actively charting at press time, "Walk My Walk" and "Livin' On Borrowed Time."
Although sales were modest — 2,000 for the former and 1,000 for the latter — Billboard noted that Breaking Rust had racked up "1.6 million official U.S. streams."
Breaking Rust was attributed to "songwriter Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor," a "mysterious" individual who NBC News conceded might not be a "real person." Searches for Taylor indicated they had almost no internet presence prior to the release of "Walk My Walk."
The Washington Post spoke to several country artists about Breaking Rust, and their reactions ranged from ambivalence to deep concern for the future of the genre.
Ana Cristina Cash, daughter-in-law of the late country icons Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, had strong feelings about AI-generated music.
"I don't think anything is a substitute for the human soul. I think that people in general are unpredictable, and that's what's beautiful about people, about songwriters," she stated.
"It's scary as hell, it really is," artist Dawson Anderson admitted, one of several who were fearful that AI could undermine human artists.
Why is AI-generated music controversial?
Artificial intelligence and its role in nearly every aspect of daily life were the subject of perpetual debate throughout 2025.
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Energy consumption ⚡ AI and employment were particularly at issue amid a difficult job market and fears that corporations sought to replace large numbers of human workers with robots.
Musicians and workers in creative fields have been among the most vocal about the potential career-related detriments of AI; writers and artists have sued AI firms for allegedly training their technology on their intellectual property.
While an increasing number of artists voiced credible concerns that AI was undermining their earning potential, the AI boom adversely affected Americans in other ways.
Data centers to power AI tools began dotting the landscape, prompting concerns about the pollution they emit and the public resources they deplete, such as water and energy. As the number of data centers skyrocketed nationwide, so did electric bills.
These increased costs rapidly spiraled into a crisis and exacerbated energy insecurity, the inability to afford basic household utility needs.
In addition to overburdening cash-strapped Americans, data center energy demand increased the risk of blackouts, prompting the Department of Energy to issue a warning about insufficient grid capacity in July.
What's being done about it?
Ultimately, artists like Colbie Caillat told the Post that they didn't think audiences would embrace AI-generated music.
In November, streaming site Deezer teamed up with Ipsos to poll listeners about AI in music and found that 80% of listeners strongly preferred "that 100% AI-generated music should be clearly labeled to listeners," while 52% believed AI artists don't belong on charts.
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