Berita Warns That Artificial Intelligence Could Threaten Music Creativity and Artist Identity
Award-winning Afro-soul singer Berita has raised serious concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence in the music industry. She believes AI poses a real danger to creativity and could strip artists of their identity if left unchecked. Her comments come at a time when AI-generated music is rapidly gaining attention around the world. Many … The post Berita Warns That Artificial Intelligence Could Threaten Music Creativity and Artist Identity appeared first on SA Music Magazine.
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Award-winning Afro-soul singer Berita has raised serious concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence in the music industry. She believes AI poses a real danger to creativity and could strip artists of their identity if left unchecked. Her comments come at a time when AI-generated music is rapidly gaining attention around the world. Many platforms are now producing songs that sound human, often mimicking established voices and styles. Berita says this trend forces musicians to rethink how their work and identity are protected in a fast-changing digital space.
Berita has made it clear that she does not use AI to create music. She told the Daily Sun that she only uses it for administrative tasks in her office work. She described AI as useful for brainstorming ideas and improving productivity, but she draws a hard line when it comes to songwriting, vocals and production. She said she sees AI in music creation as a threat at this stage of its development. According to her, AI systems can now replicate vocals and production so closely that they sound like real artists, which raises concerns about originality and ownership. She believes this level of replication creates confusion about what is real art and what is machine output.
The singer also emphasized that the biggest difference between humans and machines is emotional depth. She explained that music is built from lived experiences such as joy, pain, healing and personal growth. In her view, AI cannot truly replicate these emotions because it does not live or feel. She said machine-generated songs create a disconnect because they do not come from human experience. Instead, they are produced through algorithms without emotional memory or cultural context. For Berita, this gap is what makes human creativity irreplaceable, especially in genres like Afro-soul where storytelling and emotion are central.
Another major concern she raised is cultural theft and intellectual property protection. She warned that AI systems trained on existing music could absorb cultural sounds and repurpose them without permission. This, she said, could lead to artists losing control over their own voices, styles and cultural narratives. She believes legal systems have not kept up with technological changes and that artists remain vulnerable. According to her, there is an urgent need for stronger protection of creative identity, including voice likeness and artistic style. Without these safeguards, she fears that musicians could see their work copied and redistributed without credit or compensation.
Despite her concerns about AI, Berita remains focused on her live performances and connection with audiences. She is set to perform at The Chairman in Durban on 21 June, where she promises an intimate and soulful experience for fans. She said live performance remains the one space where technology cannot replace human presence and emotional exchange. For her, stepping onto the stage is about sharing real stories and creating a spiritual connection with the audience. She believes that this human experience is what keeps music alive and meaningful. Even as AI continues to evolve, she maintains that the heart of music will always belong to human expression and lived experience.
The post Berita Warns That Artificial Intelligence Could Threaten Music Creativity and Artist Identity appeared first on SA Music Magazine.
