Last November, American singer-songwriter Kesha caught flak from fans after using an AI-generated image for her new single, DELUSIONAL. (Oh, the irony – sometimes this stuff just writes itself.) Six months later, she has finally addressed the backlash with an apology, changing the lacklustre AI art to a more fitting human-made cover to repent for her AI sins.
While her accountability is commendable, her ‘excuse’ for the AI incident is questionable at best, framing the blunder as an act of artistic rebellion. While AI image generators are getting more advanced than ever, the internet still has an eye for poorly made AI art. Whether Kesha’s DELUSIONAL cover was a political statement or simply creative corner-cutting is beyond the point – fans wanted quality, and they didn’t receive it.
In a recent Instagram post, Kesha explained her reasoning behind the AI single art, claiming, “When making the single art for my song Delusional, I wanted to make the point that it’s DELUSIONAL that the world expects artists to continue making art when we are so undervalued. I tried to echo my ideas in the form of a political single cover. I’ve realized that living in alignment with my integrity is more important than proving a point.”
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The controversial cover was replaced with a picture of the artist, who made sure to tag the “incredible team of humans” behind the shoot. “AI is a pandoras box that we as a society have collectively opened, and I think it’s important that we keep human ramifications in mind as we learn how to use it as a tool and not as a replacement,” Kesha added.
I find Kesha’s reasoning behind using AI art difficult to accept, given that her excuse is entirely contradictory. There are certainly more inspiring ways of making a “political single cover”, where her “integrity” can be maintained. This ‘if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” attitude only reinforces the very thing she is supposedly against – there is no nuanced statement to be found in charading laziness as political rebellion.
Despite my dislike for Kesha’s original AI art, her accountability is a step in the right direction and allowing her the space to learn from this controversy is important for growth in the creative industries. As I recently discussed in my interview with AI artist Niceaunties, I believe there’s a space for AI art, but how we choose to use the technology is key.
