A new Bain & Company survey revealed that while most U.S. listeners are resistant to purely AI-generated music, they are surprisingly open to AI being used as a creative tool to assist human artists.
- Off-key reception: The survey found that 62% of consumers are resistant to AI-generated music, a sentiment Bain researchers called “one of the strongest endorsements of human-created content across media types.” The aversion is even more pronounced for other AI-generated content like books, which 71% of respondents said they would avoid.
- The ghostwriter in the machine: That resistance flips to acceptance when AI is positioned as a creative co-pilot. Two-thirds of listeners were open to AI helping artists with initial ideas or lyrics, and a majority approved of using it to improve instrument sounds (around 60%) or even translate lyrics using a replicated version of the artist's voice (over 50%).
The report lands as the industry grapples with a flood of automated content, from viral stunts to tens of thousands of AI tracks uploaded daily. The findings suggest that the companies most likely to succeed are those that embrace AI as a tool to help creators work faster and experiment more, rather than replacing them. The music industry is looking ahead at a transformative year, with some pundits already debating whether an AI-generated song will finally crack the Billboard Hot 100.