Bette Midler criticizes AI-generated music as ‘cultural genocide’

Singer Bette Midler has criticized the use of generative AI in the arts, labeling it “cultural genocide” in a recent Instagram post. Her comments were directed at the viral hit song “Celebrate Me” by IngaRose, an AI-generated artist associated with the music generation company Suno.

Midler argued that the song, which topped iTunes charts in the United States and other countries, was created by a machine that utilized the styles, phrasing, and sounds of thousands of human artists without providing compensation. While IngaRose maintains that the lyrics are human-written and only the arrangements are refined using Suno, Midler contends the technology effectively steals from the history of recorded music.

The controversy has sparked debate among fans and public figures, with some supporting Midler’s stance against “AI slop” and others, such as actor Tyrese Gibson, offering opposing views.