AI can perform a song, but can it make true art?

AI-generated 'artists' suggest one doesn’t even need to be human to succeed in R&B or country music

- LZ GRANDERSON COLUMNIST

BRETT CARLSEN Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME need not clear space for a Breaking Rust exhibit.

THE MOST insulting thing about the success of Breaking Rust, an artificial intelligence “artist” that topped Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales Chart this week, is the titles of the hits.

"Walk My Way."

"Living on Borrowed Time."

The EP—which is also on the charts—is called “Resilient,” as if Breaking Rust spent years playing for tips in empty bars. And maybe Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor, who is credited for writing the songs, did. But the bluesy voice we hear singing about pain and suffering did not overcome anything.

In fact, you could say this completely computer-generated country singer found chart success by mocking people. A year ago, a handful of loud industry folks in Nashville questioned whether Beyoncé, who was born and raised in Texas, was country enough to do a country album. Good times. Today AI-generated “performers” such as Breaking Rust and Xania Monet, which hit the Billboard R&B charts, are suggesting you don’t even need to be human to fit into those genres.