Am I Cheating When I Write Music with AI

Might AI vocals dilute our appreciation of the human voice?

For the last two weeks, Summit Stages Council member Paul Anderson has been sharing perspectives on musical theatre in the age of AI. His series has elicited some serious thought and insightful discussion. And it has me looking hard at my use of AI in my creative process. Is it appropriate, or not? What follows are some of my own thoughts, and then a reader response to Paul's post of last week that speaks for itself.

My Questions and Thoughts

I hesitate over whether or not it's fair to call myself a composer. Mostly, I write lyrics and melodies. I've done some orchestration as well, but I'm a beginner there and it takes me a whole lot of time. Time that has to be borrowed from other things I'm doing that feel like a much higher priority. So, I was ecstatic earlier this year when I learned that I could input my words and melody into an ​AI program​, and produce songs with full orchestration and vocals, in minutes. I've been writing multiple ​songs​ a week since then (most of which are not for public consumption).

But I've also been wondering if I'm cheating. When is it okay to use technology to replace the work that we used to rely on a living person to do? When is it a problem?

I don't have easy answers, and this issue has been developing for some time. I first started using AI in songwriting more than a decade ago. That wasn't what we called it. We used the term "plug-in" for a bonus program that came with Sibelius, a music notation software. After I notated a melody, I had the option of hitting a button that would quickly write simple chords to accompany it. I thought it was a cool time-saving device that I could work with. And I didn't have any concerns about using the virtual instruments that play back my music, even though it wasn't that long ago that I'd have to get live musicians on board to hear how my music could sound. Neither was I worried about the many algorithms that Garage Band uses to simplify the process of music production.

But going from lyrics and a melody to a fully-produced song in a matter of minutes is a big jump. And it worries me that people who hear those songs often ask who's my vocalist. Because my vocalist is not a who but a what. It sounds human and sometimes (not always), it sounds like it nails the emotion I'm hoping to hear. But it is not a real person and there's something about that which I find disconcerting.

One thing I know: I don't want to help create a world where artificial voices are preferred to real ones. That possibility reminds me of the pain caused by photoshopped images of women, that real women should not be compared against. I want to nurture the valuing of real voices.

For reasons of budget and time, I'm in an uneasy place where I'm feeling to release my songs as demos for sheet music, in the hopes that they will be picked up by real people who will use them for live performance. I'm on the lookout for collaborators who can reduce my reliance on AI.

Warner Sallman's "The Head of Christ" vs AI generated image for my single "To Me"

Then there's the issue of my relationship with AI images. I regularly resort to those for this newsletter as well as cover art for my songs. That doesn't usually cause me concern. Except that I hadn't processed the implications of using AI, which is soulless, to create depictions of Divinity. I've recently learned that my church has ​committed​ not to use AI for that purpose, and that makes sense to me.

I want to use AI intentionally, whether in music or in art, in a way that draws people toward deeper understanding and connection with themselves and with each other. I don't ever want the tool to obscure the goal, which is building people and the beloved community. I am grateful for a team and readers who share those priorities, and can help light the path ahead.

And speaking of readers who share those priorities, I want to share with you this response to last week's newsletter from one such reader, my dear friend Deb Bartok.

She says:

I have discussed with you before my concerns about becoming obsolete because of AI. Maybe not in the field of musical theatre but still in performance whether as a motivational speaker/singer/ songwriter or life coach and as I’ve thought more deeply about it, and prayed about it along with some researching, I agree with what you initially shared with me regarding those concerns…. one of the biggest advantages that AI gives us is time. It saves us time and we can do more good and even in a more effective and organized way with AI.

Because what we do lives in the one place AI can’t go… the lived human heart.

AI can write words. It can generate melodies, even imitate styles.

But it cannot do the thing that makes what we do more powerful:

It cannot have survived the hardships of life. It cannot have loved and lost.

It cannot have knelt on the floor and prayed when everything fell apart.

It cannot have held someone’s hand through grief. It cannot receive a witness from the Holy Spirit.

And our work… whether it’s coaching, singing, speaking, songwriting, or musical theatre isn’t just information. It’s transmission.

When we stand on a stage, act out human emotions, sing a song, lead a workshop, or guide someone through healing, something happens that no algorithm can produce: People don’t just hear our words.

They feel our nervous system.

They feel our earned compassion.

They feel the truth that has been lived into us and has us becoming.

What touches and heals people is not the technique.

It’s who we are while we use it.

AI can write a song about loss.

We can sing one with a voice that has broken and healed.

AI can outline confidence.

We can model confidence beyond self… rooted in God, not ego.

People don’t follow us because we’re efficient.

They follow because something in us feels safe, real, and spiritually grounded.

Our calling is relational whereas AI is transactional.

Our work is about connection, meaning, conviction, and courage.

AI can assist that, but it can never replace it.

In fact, the more AI grows, the more valuable authentic human presence becomes more essential…human.

Knowing and believing this has actually helped me to feel empowered not replaceable.

Thank you for a great article. ❤️

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