SZA Urges Black Musicians to Reject AI After Learning Model Used Hundreds of Her Songs
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- SZA discovered that 238 of her songs, including unreleased tracks, were used to train an AI music model, prompting her to urge fellow musicians on Instagram Story: "DO NOT TRAIN AI W YOUR GENIUS."
- SZA privately called out Diplo on Instagram, claiming he "has equity in Suno and is actively attempting to train it on the best and brightest Black minds of writers and producers" — though the article notes no clear public ties to Suno exist.
- The Wall Street Journal named Diplo as an investor in the billion-dollar AI startup Aaru in March, not Suno — contradicting SZA's specific claim about which company he backs.
- Suno and Udio were sued in 2024 by three major record labels accusing them of "trampling the rights of copyright owners," with Suno defending its training practices under the fair-use doctrine.
- SZA framed the issue as racial exploitation, noting "We make up 13% of the American population yet influence the world w our sound and perspective," and warning Black artists are "the easiest to steal from."
- Diplo went viral in April for telling creatives to "adapt or just like give up and become an uber driver," arguing an AI-dominated music future is unavoidable.
- SZA has previously linked AI to environmental racism, citing pollution and excessive water usage from programs like ChatGPT and Grok in underserved communities.
Why it matters: SZA's 238-song discovery lands amid 2024 copyright suits from three major labels against Suno and Udio. Her Diplo-Suno equity claim is uncorroborated — WSJ has only confirmed his stake in rival Aaru. Pitchfork's parallel piece surfaces Kenneth Blume making a similar complaint, signaling the artist backlash against AI training is widening.
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