SZA Urges Black Musicians to Reject AI Music Exploitation
SZA has taken a firm stance against generative AI, calling on Black artists to protect their creative output from unauthorized training models.
Each time SZA speaks out against AI, she seems to harbor even deeper disdain for the technology. While the singer-songwriter has been vocal about her opposition to generative AI models, her latest argument against them follows the discovery that hundreds of her own songs have been utilized for training purposes without her consent.
In a recent Instagram Story, SZA revealed that a search for her name in an AI music database uncovered that 238 of her songs—including unreleased tracks—were used to train the system. “If you’re a musician and you support this degenerate shit?” she wrote. “You’re disgusting and there’s NOTHING YOU COULD EVER SAY TO ME TO MAKE THIS OKAY. I hope u have the life u deserve.”
In a more pointed, private post, SZA specifically called out the producer and Major Lazer member Diplo for his role in perpetuating exploitation via AI. “I don’t know who needs to hear this but Diplo has equity in Suno and is actively attempting to train it on the best and brightest Black minds of writers and producers,” she wrote. While he has no clear public ties to Suno, the Wall Street Journal named Diplo as an investor in the billion-dollar AI startup Aaru in March.
Suno is one of the most-used generative AI services in the world. In 2024, three major record labels sued Suno and Udio, another music-based generative AI model, accusing them of “trampling the rights of copyright owners.” In a legal response, Suno argued that its use of copyrighted music to train its model is legal under the fair-use doctrine.
In April, Diplo went viral for his comments on the allegedly unavoidable future of AI in music. “If you are a creative you need to adapt or just like give up and become an uber driver until everyone has a waymo,” he wrote on X. “I know it’s not cool or classy to speak like this but I’m not gonna candy coat the future – it is what it is… AI will never suffer from bipolar disorder and autism like me and other creative people.”
In her post, SZA highlighted a disproportionate reliance on the creative output of Black artists by those utilizing generative AI models. “We make up 13% of the American population yet influence the world w our sound and perspective. I AINT HEARD A WHITE AI SONG YET,” she wrote. “We have no protection in legislature medical or creative. The easiest to steal from. DO NOT GIVE AWAY YOUR VIBRANIUM !!! DO NOT TRAIN AI W YOUR GENIUS. Fuck these weird ass vultures. I want smoke all summer.”
SZA’s argument builds on her previous comments about the connection between AI and environmental racism. “AI doesn’t give a fuck if you live or die I promise,” she said last year, calling out the normalized use of programs like ChatGPT and Grok that have contributed to pollution and excessive water usage in underserved communities. “THERE IS A PRICE FOR CONVENIENCE AND BLACK AND BROWN WILL PAY THE BRUNT OF IT EVERY-TIME.”
Throughout his career, Diplo has faced frequent accusations of cultural appropriation. In 2018, he addressed the recurring criticism in an interview with The Guardian. “When it comes to making music, understand that my intentions are always great. I’m there for the music only,” he said. “I have a lot of privilege by being a middle-class white American. So if I had to trade that by being considered exploitative, and people always saying negative things about me… It’s a small price to pay.”