SZA is voicing serious concerns about the growing role of artificial intelligence in the music industry, warning that the technology may be undermining both creativity and the communities that shaped the genre.
In a recent conversation with i-D Magazine, the singer discussed new music, politics, and the rapid spread of AI-generated content. Her strongest comments focused on how the technology is affecting artists and fan culture, particularly within Black music.
“I feel like I’m at war because of AI,” she says.
SZA believes the technology has already begun affecting Black artists disproportionately, particularly through AI-generated covers that circulate online before artists have time to build their own audiences. “Why am I hearing AI covers of Olivia Dean, when Olivia Dean just came the f*ck out? She can’t even collect the streams. I’m also really offended by the type of Black music that’s coming out of AI. Weird, stereotypical struggle music.”
Rather than viewing other performers as her main competition, SZA said the broader issue is a shift toward convenience over creativity. “The type of blend of information my human experience provides, AI can’t even be prompted to f*ck with. I want to just let this angst drive me into bizarre directions.”
The Grammy-winning artist has also raised environmental and social concerns tied to the technology. In a previous Instagram Story, she urged followers to examine the environmental cost of large AI systems. “Please Google how much energy and pollution it takes to run AI,” she wrote. “Please Google the beautiful black cities like Memphis that are SUFFERING because of Twitter’s new AI system.”
She added a final warning: “AI doesn’t give a f–k if you live or die, I promise. THERE IS A PRICE FOR CONVENIENCE AND BLACK AND BROWN [people] WILL PAY THE BRUNT OF IT EVERY TIME.”