For DuPree and many other aspiring musicians, AI poses a threat not only to the creative side of music production but to the way we consume and interact with music as a whole. Music is a purely human art, DuPree said, and it falls flat when it isn’t constructed by humans. 

"I really don’t respect people who mainly use AI to create music because it undermines [the process of] creating music from scratch," DuPree said. “You just don’t want to listen to something artificial."

Like DuPree, Ricky Saucedo is a freshman studying music education, but he is already thinking ahead to his career. Saucedo is concerned that AI music will hinder the learning experience of his future students. Because AI art can only model itself after existing work, students could be intaking and outputting recycled ideas. 

"We’re supposed to allow students to look at all forms of music to see what intrigues them and makes them feel more connected to the arts," Saucedo said. "AI doesn’t allow that because AI music is just a reference taken from other artists."

Additionally, Saucedo worries that his students won’t be able to harness the full extent of their creativity if AI music continues to rise. Entering a prompt into an AI program is much easier than handcrafting a song, and Saucedo fears that this loophole may become the norm. 

"It’s going to foster thoughts of 'well, I don’t want to work on this on my own, I’m just going to put it through a machine and whatever it pops out, I’m gonna go with that,'" Saucedo said. 

Associate Professor of Composition at MSU and award-winning composer David Biedenbender said AI is an "extraordinary" innovation, but warns users to be aware of its limits. If the use of AI in music goes unchecked, it can be destructive.

"If AI is going to replace what a human once did, I think it’s important to ask why," Biedenbender said. "If you’re using it because it’s cheaper and easier than a human, then you’re probably not using it well."

Despite how rapidly AI seems to be encroaching on creative industries, Biedenbender is not too anxious about it entirely replacing humans in music production. There is a divide in the quality of AI versus human-made music, one that can be heard as well as felt. 

"One of the reasons I’m in music is to connect with other humans, and I feel like there’s something in a really good piece of music where I feel a connection to another person,” Biedenbender said. “With AI, I still haven’t been wowed in that way."

Economics and creative advertising juniors Adnan Khambaty and Charlie Fracker, together comprising the DJ duo Fracker and Nan, said that certain AI tools have been beneficial in their art, making once tedious and time-consuming tasks much simpler. Stem separation, for example, makes it easier to isolate single aspects of a song to better mix them with other tracks. Despite its helpfulness, the two agreed that they would never fully rely on AI to carry out any visions they may have for a piece. 

"I think about it like a construction site," Fracker said. "If you’re just using it as your drill or your hammer, that’s one thing, but to completely replace your crew is ethically irresponsible."

Fracker said that there’s a "certain kind of magic" that goes into creating their own songs, something that no program could rival in his eyes. Additionally, Khambaty said that artists should trust their own talents, channeling them into a sound that is uniquely theirs.

"If [the use of AI] becomes more advanced, I feel like all music will be the same, it’ll just be boring," Khambaty said. "Being different is the thing that will keep you going."

Finance junior Armaan Pirzada is another DJ, booking local gigs under the name DJ Zada. Pirzada has noticed an increase in apps that give users a taste of DJing through a variety of AI tools. This, Pirzada said, can be a good stepping stone for those new to the art. 

"Technically, it does take the human aspect out of it, but on the other end, I feel like that could make people more motivated or even more hungry to actually get a DJ board and start DJing if they’re really interested," Pirzada said. 

However, apps like these should not be used as a crutch. Pirzada said that he is nervous about DJs getting away with using AI to create their mixes rather than creating them "naturally.”

"That just takes the fun out of it, you know? When I’m working, I want to have fun, and I want to try new things and be unique," Pirzada said. "I don’t really incorporate any AI in my stuff, but it could definitely be a problem for DJs in the future."

The music industry is far from succumbing to a computerized takeover, but it is important to think critically about the art that is being served and digested. For now, the heart of a human-made track is what sets it apart. 

"Listening to and creating music is such a human thing, we know what sounds good," Fracker said. "You can give a program so much data and it can run as many algorithms as it wants, but it will never replace human quality."