Does Spotify & OpenAI’s Approach to Art Threaten Creativity?

In artistic communities, AI is often regarded with suspicion, with its reliance on calculations and formulas seen as contrary to the creative process.

This sentiment is particularly prevalent the music industry, where AI-generated music is perceived as a pale imitation of the real thing.

“Songs arise out of suffering, by which I mean they are predicated upon the complex, internal human struggle of creation and, well, as far as I know, algorithms don’t feel,” says Australian musician Nick Cave.

For many artists, the worry is that AI-generated will one day replace human artists.

But it isn’t just AI’s poor song writing that has musicians riled; many artists are concerned that AI models are being trained on their music, without their permission.

In February 2025, more than 1,000 musicians, including the likes of Kate Bush and Damon Albarn, recently released a ‘silent album’ in protest against the UK government’s proposal to let AI companies use copyrighted material.

“The government’s proposal would hand the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies, for free, letting those companies exploit musicians’ work to outcompete them,” Ed Newton-Rex, AI campaigner and CEO of Fairly Trained, said at the time.

Spotify, AI and the music industry

Not all those in the music industry are concerned by AI, though. Daniel Ek, Founder and CEO of Spotify, argue that AI will in fact enhance, rather than diminish, artistic creativity.

During an event at Spotify's Stockholm headquarters, Daniel highlighted his optimism about AI’s potential in music creation.

“I’m mostly optimistic and mostly very excited because we’re just in the beginning of understanding this future of creativity that we’re entering,” the Swedish entrepreneur shared with reporters.

However, Spotify is not free from controversy in its AI endeavours. Music journalist Liz Pelly, in her bestselling book 'Mood Machine,' accused Spotify of populating its platform with thousands of AI-generated songs.

In her book, Liz alleges that the AI-generated music Spotify buys is pushed onto the platform’s high-traffic playlists, saving the company money by elbowing out real artists and their higher royalties.

Spotify has denied these claims outright, but the company's application of AI is still very much under scrutiny.

During his press session at Spotify HQ, Daniel acknowledged the challenges of defining creativity amid AI's growing influence.

“We want real humans to make it as artists and creators, but what is creativity in the future with AI? I don't know. What is music?,” he said.

Will AI make song writing more accessible?

Daniel Ek espouses the view that AI democratizes music creation, rather than threatening it.

“Of course there are very scary potential applications for AI, but the more interesting thing for me is that the amount of creativity that creative people will have available at their fingertips is going to be insane,” he elaborated.

In supporting this stance, Daniel highlighted how technological advances have continually lowered barriers for aspiring musicians.

He noted that whilst Mozart had to compose entire symphonies in his head, “now, any one of us can probably create a beat in five or 10 minutes”.

"The tools that we now have in our availability are just staggering,” he noted.

Nevertheless, the artist community remains sceptical, with some fearing that ongoing trends will introduce more challenges.

“I understand that ChatGPT is in its infancy but perhaps that is the emerging horror of AI — that it will forever be in its infancy, as it will always have further to go, and the direction is always forward, always faster,” Nick Cave explains.

AI’s potential impacts across the entertainment industry

AI anxiety is not just reserved for musicians. Many professionals in the film and TV sectors are apprehensive about the technology's rollout in their fields. 

The unveiling of OpenAI’s Sora model — which generates videos from user prompts — has sparked a reaction due to its impressive results.

Discussing AI's possible effects on the entertainment industry, author and broadcaster Richard Osman noted: “I think the industry will be hollowed out, and I use that term very specifically.”

“At the top end, there’s always going to be auteurs and artisans. People will pay a premium for humanity, but the people doing that will of course be rich people," he argued.

“At the bottom end, there will still be loads of producers and content creators who will do what they always do — have great ideas.

“It’s the stuff in the middle that goes, like linear television. There is absolutely no reason why in two years' time a human being should be anywhere near that.” 

OpenAI’s message to artists

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, acknowledges the concerns surrounding his company's technology. 

“We try to be a thoughtful company about what we put out into the world, and it doesn’t take much thought to think about the ways this can go badly,” he acknowledged on the Lex Fridman podcast.

“If I was an artist, a) I would like to be able to opt out of people generating art in my style and b) if they do generate art in my style I’d like to have some kind of economic model associated with that.

“Artists were also super worried when photography came out and then photography became a new artform.

“I think things like that will keep happening, people will use the tools in new ways.”

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