Saudi music tests the role of artificial intelligence as a production tool or a rival to artistic identity

When Spotify removed more than 75 million AI generated tracks classified as spam within a single year, the figure was not merely a passing tech headline for the music industry. It posed a practical question for musicians: where does the digital assistant end, and where does the displacement that alters the meaning of artistic work begin? In Saudi Arabia, where the music industry is expanding rapidly as part of the creative economy, that question has moved into recording studios and classrooms, rather than remaining confined to theoretical debates.

Spotify does not ban AI generated music in itself. Its campaign targets bulk production that uses artificial streaming, deceptive metadata, and automated uploads to game the platform. By contrast, the platform permits music assisted by artificial intelligence when its creators hold the necessary commercial rights and apply the technology within a legitimate creative process. It has also introduced restrictions on the unauthorized cloning of established artists' voices, tools to detect streaming manipulation, and improved metadata standards for generated content.

The issue is not accepting or rejecting the technologyIn the Saudi scene, distinct use cases are emerging that separate practical utility from the idea of machines replacing artists. MDLBEAST Records, the regional music entertainment company, has presented artificial intelligence as a tool for the earliest stages of creation, such as suggesting an initial beat, a musical phrase, or a cleared sample, while stressing the rights of songwriters and copyright holders. This positions the tool as an assistant rather than the artistic decision maker.

The Saudi Music Commission, a government cultural body, is taking a similar educational direction through its Music AI initiative, launched in late 2024 to teach Arabic and Western instruments using interactive technology. The program incorporates Saudi sounds and Arabic musical heritage, using artificial intelligence to deliver feedback and personalize learning. The premise here is not to generate a complete song at the press of a button, but to expand a learner's capacity to practice and understand performance.

Saudi guitarist Motasem Abu Alsulqan, known as Motescore, believes the role of technology should remain supportive. He links songwriting and composition directly to an artist's personal emotion, yet acknowledges the practical utility of artificial intelligence in transcribing guitar tablature, structuring musical ideas, and checking for unintended similarities with existing works. Meanwhile, producer and DJ El Fuego accepts fair use of the technology as long as it does not interfere with an artist's creative instinct, noting that mixing, mastering, and audio engineering could grant independent musicians capabilities that normally require costly professional services.

Technical utility does not settle the ownership questionAs generative artificial intelligence advances, questions are mounting over the use of copyrighted music to train models, the consent of rights holders, and who deserves compensation when their work contributes to generated output. The issue of total dependence is also surfacing: Abu Alsulqan warns that the loss of performance, songwriting, and composition skills could pose a risk to future generations if musicians abandon hands on training.

This objection is more explicit for Lorelyn, vocalist of the Saudi metal band Ataraxeem, who rejects generative artificial intelligence in the arts. His argument concerns not only the resulting audio, but the human relationships that produce the work: musicians exchanging ideas, producers shaping performances, and collaborators leaving their mark on the final piece. He argues that the growth of the Kingdom's music infrastructure offers emerging artists an alternative path built on collaboration, live performance, and the development of an individual sound.

For music professionals across the Gulf and Saudi Arabia, the practical takeaway is clear: artificial intelligence tools can enter education and technical production without being granted the power to determine a work's identity or provenance. Doing so, however, requires artists and production entities to secure rights, monitor metadata, and protect original vocals and materials. The true test is not whether a system can imitate human melody, but whether the industry can preserve experience, collaboration, and creative ownership in their rightful place.