AI-assisted vs AI-generated music | What’s the difference?
With developing policies and attitudes around AI in music, it feels like a good time to explore the differing extents of AI usage in music creation.
AI is becoming more and more present within music, from tools to assist in workflow or music production to closely reproducing audio clips of famous artists’ voices and work. Whatever your position on AI in music is, it’s evident now that the line between human and machine-made music is starting to blur.
But what’s the difference between AI-assisted and AI-generated music? And what does that mean for independent artists, the wider industry, and the future of creativity?
What is AI-assisted music?
AI-assisted music is music created by a human artist who uses AI as a tool to support or enhance their creative process.
This might include:
- Using AI to suggest chord progressions or melodies
- Generating beats or loops to use as a base layer
- Mastering or mixing tracks using AI-powered tools
- Analysing trends or your own music data to inform your writing or release strategy
The key here is that the artist remains in control. AI is a collaborator – not the creator. You guide the process, make decisions, and shape the final product.
An example of this is the AI-assisted track “Now and Then” by The Beatles, which won a Grammy earlier this year. AI-powered audio restoration software was employed to help isolate and improve the quality of Lennon’s vocals from old demos. Here, AI is used as a tool to aid in a particular aspect of music creation and production.
What is AI-generated music?
AI-generated music is created by AI, with little or no human input. You might feed in a prompt or a style, but the AI creates the entire piece: structure, melody, instruments – basically everything.
The product could range from an ambient album created from a text prompt, to deepfake covers using cloned voices of famous artists. While this capability can seem impressive and like a bit of fun, it’s these examples of AI usage in music that has caused much of the controversy. Questions are raised around originality, copyright, ethics, and what it actually means to be an artist.
An example of AI-generated music like this would be: An AI model is trained on thousands of Beatles songs and generates a brand new “Beatles-style” track. No human wrote it – the AI did all the work.
Why does the difference matter so much?
Because the usage of AI in music has developed so quickly, there are lots of questions around how a lot of it works. Equally, there are many boundaries and rules that are yet to be defined.
Some of the big questions are things like, “who owns the music created by AI?”, “can AI copy an artist’s voice or style without permission?”, and “can AI be trained on other artists’ music without permission?”
The distinction between assisted and generated matters because it shapes the answers to these questions.
AI-assisted music still has a clear human creator – you. But AI-generated content blurs that line, which has led to growing debate and even protest.
Earlier this year, anonymous musicians released a silent album made entirely of AI-generated “tracks” to protest the UK government’s proposal of an “opt-out” system. This system would mean artists would have to manually opt out of having their work used to train AI models.
How are governments responding?
AI is developing faster than many legal systems can keep up with, but governments and music platforms are starting to react.
Copyright concerns
Most countries currently don’t allow copyright protection for music made entirely by AI with no human input. That’s because copyright law is designed to protect human creativity.
Regulation is coming
In the EU, the AI Act is one of the first attempts to set rules around artificial intelligence, including transparency requirements for AI-generated content. In the US, discussions around deepfakes and voice cloning have already led to some lawsuits and proposed legislation.
Meanwhile, music platforms like YouTube and Spotify are updating their policies. YouTube now requires creators to disclose whether a video uses synthetic voices or deep faked visuals, and it’s likely that audio will follow. Spotify has prohibited the training of AI on content that is available on its platform.
Final thoughts
Attitudes among artists are still evolving. Some see AI as an exciting tool that can boost creativity and productivity. Others are more cautious, worried about impersonation, devaluation of art, or being replaced by machines. For independent artists, AI presents both risks and opportunities. Used wisely, AI tools can help you create faster, explore new sounds, and stand out in a crowded field.
At RouteNote, we believe in empowering artists. Whether you’re using AI to speed up your workflow or staying completely analogue, the key is keeping the creativity in your hands. AI-assisted music can be a powerful tool for musicians who want to experiment and grow. But AI-generated music? That’s where the debate begins.
As government policies and industry standards continue to evolve, we’ll be keeping a close eye – and sharing updates to help you navigate the future of music with confidence.
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