The One Thing AI Music Can’t Do
AI is helping us reconnect with music, though not in the way you might think. It’s not the speed or pristine songwriting, composition, and production that’s redefining our relationship with it. It’s what AI can’t offer that’s reminding listeners of what they truly love about music – and perhaps what will ultimately keep the technology from replacing musicians altogether.
AI & Artistry
For the past few years, SAM has been at the forefront of AI music research. Through our partnership with SoundOut, we’ve studied both the breakthroughs and the blind spots of generative music. We’ve seen AI write songs that resonate with human audiences, and we’ve experienced its value as an inspirational tool. But we’ve also seen where it fails – particularly in emotional accuracy (see Can AI Write Better Songs Than Taylor Swift?).
Meanwhile, AI-generated music continues to grow in popularity. ‘Artists’ like The Velvet Sundown have reached millions of streams, and tools like Suno and OpenAI continue to make headway. This rapid innovation has sparked widespread debate across the music, creative, and IP industries (and many others) surrounding legality and copyrights, and ultimately, it’s got us all wondering, where does this all lead?
The Illusion of AI Music
When it comes to music, AI performs a kind of sonic sleight of hand – we type in a few prompts, and presto, we have a song that sounds convincingly human. But if we’re trying to inspire repeat listeners, the distinction matters. Studies show that listener engagement drops sharply once audiences learn that a song is generated by AI [Source: NIH].
Why? Because music fans crave connection. “[T]hey identify with the context beyond the music – things like the artist’s personality, values, backstory, and aesthetic,” explains Tatiana Cirisano, VP of Music Strategy at MIDiA Research [Source: MIDiA Research]. Moreover, they’re seeking an emotional relationship. A recent Cornell study confirms that human-composed music is significantly more likely than its AI-generated counterpart to elicit high emotional states [Source: Cornell University].
In other words, the music we return to – and build memories around – is often inseparable from the human story behind it. Without that story, AI songs can intrigue us once, but rarely twice.
Connection Is the Real Hook
That doesn’t mean audiences can’t connect with virtual artists. The recent Netflix smash hit, KPop Demon Hunters, is a perfect example – fans fell in love with the music, story, and characters despite its animated world. What gives it staying power though, isn’t just the songs. It’s the activations around them: online communities, social content, watch parties, and live performances by the actual singers behind the characters. These moments make the music real and create meaningful connections with fans. AI is quickly becoming capable of building these virtual worlds, characters, and even music – but the heart of the experience continues to lie in human connection.
For brands, that’s the lesson. The future of music in marketing isn’t about choosing between humans and machines – it’s about using technology to amplify genuine connection. Agencies like SAM understand how to strike that balance, using AI’s efficiency and creative potential to enhance storytelling, not replace it.
At SAM, we’ve always embraced the value of recording real artists playing live instruments in real time – because there’s something about fingers on strings, breath through reeds, and the imperfections between beats that technology can’t imitate. Those human nuances are what give music its soul, the very thing listeners subconsciously respond to, and brands ultimately benefit from.
Because no matter how advanced AI becomes, it can’t replicate what makes music so unforgettable – human connection and storytelling built on real life experiences.