SZA explains how AI “disproportionately” impacts black music
SZA has hit out at the way AI impacts the music industry, and has explained that the technology “disproportionately” impacts black music.
The star’s anti-AI sentiment has been public for some time now. In 2022, on her critically-aclaimed album SOS, the song ‘Ghost in the Machine’ contains lyrics, “Let’s talk about AI, robot got more heart than I/ Robot got future, I don’t.”
In a new interview with i-D Magazine, she has expanded on this sentiment in light of the past four years of progress in the technology industry: “I feel like I’m at war because of AI,” she admitted.
The ‘Kill Bill’ singer added, “It’s happening disproportionately with Black music. Why am I hearing AI covers of Olivia Dean, when Olivia Dean just came the fuck out? She can’t even collect the streams. I’m also really offended by the type of Black music that’s coming out of AI. Weird, stereotypical struggle music.”
British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean has recently emerged as a major force in the world of pop and soul, winning the 2026 Grammy for Best New Artist and four 2026 Brit Awards.
SZA continued, “I’m not up against the pop girls. I’m not up against the R&B girls. I’m up against anti-intellectualism and doing things easy.” The singer also previously spoke out against AI’s resource depletion in disproportionately Black and Brown communities.
She went on, “The type of blend of information my human experience provides, AI can’t even be prompted to fuck with. I want to just let this angst drive me into bizarre directions.”
In keeping with her staunch anti-AI viewpoint, SZA has also shared that her next project, which she has been busy making in the studio, will channel “awesome humanity shit,” adding, “I feel insufferably human right now.”
The music industry is divided now more than ever over AI’s place in the creative process. Grammy-nominated musician Charlie Puth has just been appointed Chief Music Officer of AI platform Moises, which boasts 70 million users, and has said he has been using AI “for years”.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.