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I hate that I don’t hate this song made with Suno
Musician 1010Benja has released a track, "Semiramis' Dream," made using the AI music generator Suno, arguing openly against the stigma attached to such tools rather than hiding his use of them. The Verge's review notes that the song, the opening track on his EP Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose…, avoids the generic, lifeless quality typically associated with Suno output, thanks to a hands-on production process combining human performance with AI generation.
Benja explains that he and a collaborator wrote the beat and recorded his own vocals, then repeatedly cycled the material through Suno and Ableton, editing and re-feeding the results several hundred times to shape the final song. He is candid about the ethical concerns around generative AI, including its environmental impact, but says financial hardship, including being unable to pay rent, has pushed him to use tools he otherwise might reject; the EP follows his acclaimed 2024 record, Ten Total, which earned a Pitchfork Best New Music accolade.
In short
- Musician 1010Benja used AI tool Suno openly on new track "Semiramis' Dream"
- Combined human vocals and instruments with repeated AI generation cycles
- He cites financial struggles as his reason for embracing generative AI tools
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Artists should be able to use any tools at their disposal, particularly when facing financial hardship, and transparency about methods deserves respect rather than stigma. The substantial human involvement in shaping the final product—writing, performing, editing through hundreds of iterations—makes this genuinely artistic work. Technology adoption in music is historical and inevitable; resisting new tools entirely may simply exclude artists without access to expensive traditional infrastructure.
The case against
AI music generation presents novel ethical problems distinct from previous technological shifts, as these tools are trained on existing works without adequate artist consent or compensation. The environmental cost of running such systems, combined with the displacement of human musicians and producers, represents a genuine harm that outweighs individual artists' pragmatic needs. Beyond practical concerns, there remains a defensible philosophical position that outsourcing core creative decisions to algorithms—however hand-curated the result—undermines authentic artistic practice.
Explained simply
AI music generators are computer programmes that can create songs or instrumental tracks with minimal human input. Tools like Suno have become widely available in recent years, but many musicians and industry professionals worry about their quality, their environmental cost, and the ethics of training them on existing music without permission.
Musician 1010Benja has just released a new song and deliberately credited the use of Suno in its creation rather than hiding the fact, arguing against the stigma surrounding such tools. His previous album received significant acclaim, including recognition from respected music publications, but he explains that financial difficulties have made him willing to experiment with tools he might otherwise avoid.
The release raises questions about AI's place in music-making at a time when many artists face precarious incomes. It highlights a tension between concerns about artificial intelligence and the real pressures that push working musicians towards trying new methods, however controversial.
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