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The rise of AI-generated artist Xania Monet has sparked a fierce backlash from some of R&B’s biggest names. As news broke that Xania, an AI-powered music project created by Telisha “Nikki” Jones, had landed a $3 million record deal, artists like SZA, Kehlani and Chlöe Bailey didn’t hold back in expressing their outrage.
Xania Monet, developed using AI music platforms like Suno, has quickly gained attention with charting singles and millions of streams. But her digital success story hasn’t impressed real-life artists who have spent years honing their craft, often with little support from the same industry now investing heavily in artificial creations.
SZA took to social media to voice her frustration. She urged fans to stop making AI images and songs of her, calling the trend unethical and environmentally damaging. She questioned why the industry would devalue human music and said plainly: “I don’t f**k with this either.” Her concerns extended beyond art to the infrastructure and energy used to train AI systems, pointing out how these technologies often exploit underserved communities.
Kehlani echoed these sentiments in a passionate video post. She called out the industry for giving a massive deal to an AI project while many real artists struggle for recognition and resources. “There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multi-million-dollar deal… and the person is doing none of the work,” she said, frustrated by what she sees as the erasure of years of human sacrifice, training and emotional labor. Kehlani didn’t mince words, adding, “Nothing and no one on Earth will ever be able to justify AI to me… I don’t respect it.”
Chlöe Bailey also chimed in, expressing sadness over the shift AI is bringing into creative spaces. “AI musical artists and songs? I feel AI should be banned when it comes to the creative spaces… This makes me sad,” she shared on social media, clearly concerned about the future of human artistry.
