SZA has launched a fierce attack on AI music generators and the artists who support them, specifically calling out Suno and alleging that producer Diplo has equity in the company and is attempting to train it on the work of Black musicians.
The Grammy-winning artist took to Instagram on Saturday to make her feelings known in no uncertain terms.
Writing on her private account, she argued that Black artists are unjustly vulnerable to having their creative work exploited.
“We make up 13% of the American population yet influence the world w our sound and perspective,” she wrote.
“I AINT HEARD A WHITE AI SONG YET…We have no protection in legislature medical or creative. The easiest to steal from. DO NOT GIVE AWAY YOUR VIBRANIUM!!! DO NOT TRAIN AI W YOUR GENIUS.”
On her main Instagram account, she went further, claiming that a search of her name revealed AI models have been trained on 238 of her songs.
Her message to any musician who supports the practice was clear.
“If your a musician and you support this degenerate sh*t? Your DISGUSTING and there’s NOTHING YOU COULD EVER SAY TO ME TO MAKE THIS OKAY. I hope u have the life u deserve.”
A Suno spokesperson declined to comment directly on SZA’s allegations, instead pointing to a LinkedIn post from the company’s chief product officer Jack Brody, who stated that Suno’s training metadata does not include artists’ names, cannot replicate material it was trained on, and that the company is working to improve impersonation detection.
It remains unclear whether Diplo holds equity in Suno. A representative for him did not immediately respond to comment requests, though he has spoken positively about using the platform.
Diplo’s own position on AI in music is the polar opposite of SZA’s. In an April interview, he declared there was “no fighting AI” and that he no longer needed human voices for his tracks.
“The customer and accessibility is what’s always going to be triumphant,” he said.
“99% of people are going to wanna love the best product made the quickest, made the cheapest, that’s what the American economy is.”
In a follow-up post on X, he told artists to “adapt or just like give up and become an uber driver.”
The row reflects a deepening fault line running through the music industry.
Producer Jack Antonoff recently called those making music with AI “godless wh**es” and “bad actors,” while Will.i.am and Timbaland have invested in AI companies.
SZA’s own label RCA Records is owned by Sony Music, which is currently in active litigation against both Suno and competitor Udio.
Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group have settled their own lawsuits against the platforms, a move that has since prompted a further lawsuit against the labels by the American Federation of Musicians.
Suno recently completed a $400 million investment round, with CEO Mikey Shulman saying contributors included prominent figures from across the music industry, though the company has declined to name them.
2026-06-22 07:36:00
