Last week, the Atlantic debuted new AI detection tool that allows artists to search their name to see if their music appears in data sets used to train AI music generators. Created by Alex Reisner, the tool draws on four different sets available to AI developers, Pitchfork reports. These sets, which Reisner emphasizes do not add up to a comprehensive list, still contain over 21 million songs. They pull from the catalogs of massive stars like Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé as well as smaller, independent artists.
Following the tool’s launch, multiple musicians have expressed anger and concern over discovering their work in the data sets. SZA was among them, sharing in an Instagram story: “Jus checked and music AI has trained off 238 of my songs. I’m certain some unreleased. If your a musician and you support this degenerate shit? Your disgusting and there’s NOTHING YOU COULD EVER SAY TO ME TO MAKE THIS OKAY.”
On a separate account, she also asserted that AI companies specifically exploit black artists, writing: “Ionno 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 . 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 .. why so disproportionate? We have no protection in legislature medical or creative. The easiest to steal from.”
In his own post, the producer Kenneth Blume (FKA Kenny Beats) specifically called out the AI music company Suno. “I can’t imagine going into work daily knowing you are stealing from countless struggling musicians,” he wrote. “I can’t imagine being proud to earn a paycheck obliterating the work and dreams of artists.”
Hey @suno
You are true losers. Whoever’s running this account, and your boss, and their bosses boss. I can’t imagine going into work daily knowing you are stealing from countless struggling musicians. I can’t imagine being proud to earn a paycheck obliterating the work and…
— kenneth blume (@kennybeats) June 20, 2026
Although some companies like Google and Stability have admitted to using these data sets to train their AI models, it remains unclear which other developers have actively taken from the databases. Three of the sets featured in the Atlantic’s report led users to songs via YouTube and Spotify links, which Reisner found are often found via automated methods, “some of which allow developers to bypass logins, advertisements and mechanisms that might earn money or subscribers for creators.” Reisner pointed out that this would be a violation of both YouTube and Spotify’s terms of service. The fourth data set he included was based on the online Free Music Archive.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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