DJs have enjoyed auto-sync on their CDJs for decades. Pop stars have relied on autotune for just as long, maybe even longer. Music tech, at its core, has always been about augmentation. So, did you ever wonder what’s next?
Well, here it is: AI bandmates.
Today’s AI-infused systems can adjust to your tempo shifts, anticipate your harmonies, and crank out ideas faster than any human could jot them down. It is not science fiction, and it is not on the distant horizon. In fact, many musicians are already trading riffs with algorithms in bedroom studios and professional sessions alike, potentially replacing bandmates with AI companions.
Meet the Algorithms: Today’s Leading AI Tools
Among the most notable AI tools today is AIVA (short for Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist), an AI music composer that spits out original songs in more than 250 styles in mere seconds. As founder Pierre Barreau puts it, AIVA exists to “help people who… need a guiding hand in their creative process.”
Another pioneering AI sidekick is Amper Music. Amper made headlines when singer Taryn Southern used it to co-create an entire pop album “I am AI”. Southern would choose a genre and mood, and Amper would generate instrumental tracks for her songs. She described the AI as “a new song-writing partner who doesn’t get tired and has this endless knowledge of music”. Interestingly, the key word she uses is partner.
There are plenty more AI tools joining the jam. Orb Producer is a suite of AI plugins that live inside your music software (DAW) to generate musical patterns such as chords, drums, melodies, basslines, you name it.
Similarly, mainstream music platforms are embracing AI helpers. BandLab’s SongStarter is an AI-powered idea generator integrated into the popular BandLab app.
AI is also learning to turn words into music. Perhaps the most pertinent example is Google’s MusicLM, a test system that was introduced back in 2023 to generate musical clips based purely on text descriptions. You can type “a soulful jazz tune for a dinner party” and its most recent iteration MusicFX now composes a matching piece on the spot.
And if you’re wondering, yes, AI can jam live too.
Projects like Endlesss (founded by musician Tim Exile) create online spaces for real-time musical collaboration. Endlesss is basically a “multiplayer loop station” where you and friends (or strangers) can trade riffs and build tracks together from anywhere. Exile’s philosophy is that music should be “play, not work” and a shared journey. Interestingly, that ethos applies whether your bandmates are humans or algorithms.
Yes, the Code Can Catch a Groove
When musicians jam together, they toss musical ideas back and forth, react to each other’s cues, lay down backing so someone else can solo. AI systems are being developed to mimic and learn from these behaviors in a digital form.
● Listening: Just as a drummer might catch the groove from a bassist, an AI can take your motif and build on it. For example, AIVA allows users to upload a MIDI file as an influence, essentially letting the AI learn the theme or style you provided and continue in that direction.
● Suggesting: AI is especially good at generating lots of musical ideas quickly. Orb Producer, for instance, will happily churn out new chord progressions or melody variations at the push of a button. BandLab’s SongStarter goes further by suggesting complete starter ideas (drum beat + harmony + melody) tailored to a vibe or even an emoji prompt you give. And because an AI isn’t limited by one person’s habits, it often surprises you with ideas you wouldn’t have thought of. Taryn Southern noted that when she works with AI, “everything it spits at me is a surprise”. In this way, AI bandmates expand your creative palette, suggesting chords or rhythms outside your comfort zone (without any ego if you say “no thanks” to some of them!).
● Adapting: A human band that plays together for a while develops a shared style and can even anticipate each other. Can an AI adapt to you over time? The beginnings of this are here. Some AI tools use machine learning to personalize their output based on your feedback. Boomy, for example, uses algorithms that continuously improve and personalize the songs as users create more music. In theory, the more you co-write with your AI, the more it “learns” what you like, just as a human collaborator might pick up on your tendencies.
● Supporting: Not everyone has a friend who can play bass or a 100-piece orchestra on call, but AI can fill these support gaps. You can ask an AI to generate a string arrangement to back your piano ballad, or to lay down a beat while you freestyle rap.
All of this draws an enticing parallel. An AI that listens to you, learns your style, suggests ideas, and adapts over time sure starts to sound like a bandmate rather than a mere instrument. In fact, electronic artist Holly Herndon (who famously “birthed” an AI vocal model named Spawn) says working with AI absolutely feels like collaboration. “I consider Spawn as a performer, as an ensemble member… I collaborated with a human and an AI ensemble,” she explained of her process.
If an AI can reach this level of integration, where it contributes creatively and even shows some improvisational spark, the line between tool and partner begins to blur. Which leads us to some interesting questions about the future of music-making…
Tool, Partner or Performer?
In late 2024 the Black Eyed Peas announced an audacious plan for their 2025 Las Vegas residency: debuting a digital newcomer named Vida. She was billed as an interactive presence, wired into the musicians and the crowd so she could sing, rap, and chat in real time. Unfortunately, the residency was canceled, and Vida never saw the spotlight. Meanwhile in London, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus told a SXSW panel that he now treats AI as “another songwriter in the room,” handy when chord progressions stall or lyrics dry up. He laughs that the software is faster than his human partners, though still “lousy at a whole song,” which leaves final authorship firmly in human hands for now.
Authorship is only one wrinkle. Could an AI ever connect with fans the way a flesh-and-blood performer does?
Sting doubts that. The Police front-man warns that musicians face “a battle” to protect the human spark behind every song, complaining that computer-generated music leaves him cold.
Broadly speaking, the notion of “AI companions” isn’t unique to music. In our culture at large, we’re grappling with similar questions. People have AI chatbot friends and even AI “girlfriends” that provide conversation and comfort. These AI companions can simulate empathy, remember your preferences, and always be available – qualities that sound a lot like the “ideal bandmate” too. However, many would say a chatbot girlfriend isn’t a real relationship, and by analogy, an AI bandmate might never replace the real camaraderie of musicians sharing a creative bond.
So where does that leave the future lineup card? Big stars are testing AI both in the studio and on the marquee, while others draw hard lines around what feels authentic. For many projects, the machine will stay backstage, cranking out riffs and reference tracks that humans refine. Somewhere down the road, though, another Vida will almost certainly step under the lights.
Listen to the first AI-assisted song to win a Grammy, and decide for yourself if the vibe feels human, artificial, or something in between.