Do AI Music Generators Hurt Kids’ Creativity?, Best TV Shows to Binge Watch

Music—especially the ability to create music—fascinates me. So much emotion and complexity can be communicated in a song or instrumental composition. The Bible speaks to the power of music and how we should use it to glorify God.

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” – Psalm 95:1, ESV

In a unique way, music speaks to our souls. There’s even an entire musical genre called Soul. So, it’s ironic that Soul is one of the genres that artificial intelligence music generators can emulate best.

That’s right—the world of AI has expanded beyond ChatGPT essays and image generators. There are music-generating AI models out on the world wide web. And they’re becoming easier to access every day, especially for kids.

How Does Generative AI Work?

According to Harvard University, generative AI is “a type of artificial intelligence that can learn from and mimic large amounts of data to create content such as text, images, music, videos, code and more, based on inputs or prompts.”

If you’ve ever used a generative AI tool, the process can seem like magic. You type in a prompt with as much direction as you can think to give, and the model will output content. It may not always give you exactly what you want, but the results are very often impressive, if for nothing else than the speed at which the content was created. An article, an image, a song—they can all be created in seconds.

In his autobiography, Mark Twain observed, “There is no such thing as a new idea … We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.” He couldn’t have known it at the time, but his quote would very accurately describe how generative AI works.

To “create” anything, generative AI requires a dataset—a sort of digital library filled to the brim with content the AI can reference to make something new. For example, if you wanted an AI to generate a faux country music song, it would need references of existing country songs to emulate that style accurately.

So, like the quote above suggests, generative AI is not creating something from scratch (although this can appear to be the case at times). Rather, it’s making “new and curious combinations” based on what it’s being asked to do.

Generative AI & Music

The rise of AI music generators has led to a fascinating range of outputs, from the incredibly convincing—such as this “up-tempo Memphis soul 1970’s” ditty—to the niche and bizarre. If you’ve ever wanted to hear Homer Simpson or Phineas and Ferb’s Dr. Doofenshmirtz perform a cover of Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway,” for instance, you’re in luck.

As you might imagine, this creation process has caused a bit of a stir in the music business and, in some cases, has even resulted in legal action.

However, these tools are still becoming more accessible every day. In many cases, you can start creating your own AI-generated music absolutely free of charge through a website or app. But that ease of use can be a double-edged sword, especially when we factor kids into the equation.

Kids & Artificial Intelligence

According to a report from Common Sense Media, 7 out of 10 teens have used generative AI tools. And, according to the same report, most parents didn’t know that their child was using AI.

The low barrier of entry may help explain why many parents are unaware of their kids’ usage of AI tools. That can lead to several problems, but for now, let’s hone in on two bigger parental concerns: the potential for AI to short-circuit kids’ creativity and the possibility for exposure to and creation of explicit content.

Does AI Kill Creativity?

While there has been research on the effects of generative AI on a child’s creative process, plenty of questions remain. Past studies have shown the ways technology, such as the internet, can alter how our brains operate. But does access to generative AI—if used throughout childhood development—fundamentally change the way kids create and interact with music?

An overreliance on the tool could lead to a diminishment in your child’s creative confidence. Why take the considerable time to learn an instrument or write a piece of music when a program can do those things in an instant and do them (as some might think) better? (Of course, the same thoughts could be brought about by watching a master of their musical craft perform.)

Then again, that may not be the case. Other children may be inspired by the realization of what is possible, which could lead to a deeper appreciation of music and a desire to unlock their own musical talents. In that way, AI music generators could be a boon to their creativity, a chance to discover, experiment and grow.

But creativity challenges aren’t the only concern parents may have with AI. …

Explicit Content Dangers

…The other concern revolves around kids stumbling into (or creating their own) explicit content through an AI music generator. Most reputable AI tools have some sort of safeguarding: Their models are programmed to reject prompts that would lead to them creating explicit content. But these are not foolproof.

I tested the content guardrails on one of the most popular AI music generators in use today—Suno. Suno creates songs based off text prompts. So, I asked it to make a song specifically with explicit lyrics. The good news? It ignored that part of my prompt, instead creating a clean song with the other elements I had suggested.

No doubt Suno’s safeguards were at work. But it’s far from foolproof.

Suno (and other music generators) offers the option to write your own lyrics that the system will add vocals and music to. And while Suno’s filters will catch some things, users have been able to slide profanity and other objectionable content into their songs by replacing the actual spelling of words with alternative spellings, such as phonetic or “algo-speak.”

What Now for Parents?

So what should parents do to stay on top of their kids’ AI use?

My advice: Explore these AI tools together with your kids. You could use an AI music generator (Suno, Udio, AVIA, Soundful, Hydra II, SOUNDRAW, Beatoven and Amadeus Code are some of the most popular programs) to create a song or even an entire album, spending time with your child and fostering his or her creativity.

Every child is different, so taking this time to see how your son or daughter responds to an AI tool will give you a good baseline to set ground rules on when, what for and how much your kids should use AI.