Berklees AI Music Summit Highlights Generative AI, Student Protest and Industry-Wide Concerns

In early June, the Berklee College of Music’s newly opened Emerging Artistic Technology Lab (BEATL) hosted its inaugural AI Music Summit (AIMS) on the Boston campus. The three‑day gathering, held June 3‑5, attracted hundreds of engineers, educators, lawyers, producers and musicians from the United States and abroad, all eager to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping music creation, production and business.

AIMS was positioned as an artist‑centered forum. BEATL’s executive director Mark Ethier said the summit was “about centering musicians and educators in this moment of change.” The program unfolded through keynote talks, panel discussions and live demonstrations, drawing speakers from companies such as Audioshake, AutoTune, Image‑Line, LANDR, Universal Audio, Suno, Udio, Spotify, ElevenLabs, Adobe and others.

A key theme was the breadth of AI applications. Music lawyer Elizabeth Moody opened with “The Future of Music & AI: Deals, Data, and Creator Value,” noting that the term “AI music” is often conflated with production tools, generative songwriting software and voice‑cloning technology. Moody’s presentation highlighted that AI can serve in stem separation, sampling, effects processing, recommendation systems, marketing and royalty calculations.

Generative platforms were a focal point. Suno, a text‑to‑music generator, has been in the news for training its models on unlicensed music, while ElevenLabs claims to use only recordings with permission. The summit also covered Udio’s upcoming Starstruck app, which will operate as a “walled garden” where user‑generated content cannot be exported, and Spotify’s AI remix tool, another example of a closed‑system approach.

During a panel with CEOs from Audioshake, AutoTune, Image‑Line, LANDR and Universal Audio, the consensus was that AI should solve specific problems rather than be used for its own sake. The discussion underscored that many AI tools are assistive rather than generative.

Legal and rights issues were addressed in a session led by Water & Music’s Cherie Hu and Young Spielburg. They explained the challenges of detecting AI‑generated content, establishing provenance, securing copyright and ensuring attribution. They noted that existing solutions are often too complex or costly for timely implementation.

Student protest was a visible element of the summit. A group of Berklee students, organized under the Instagram account @berkleeagainstai, gathered outside the venue to voice concerns about the college’s AI initiatives. Student Theo Wheeler, a contemporary writing and production major, said, “There are a lot of people here who are at the top level of the AI music industry, and they’re deciding it for the rest of us.” The protest was peaceful, with students playing music, handing out brochures and engaging in conversation with attendees.

The summit also featured performances that showcased AI’s creative potential. Holly Herndon demonstrated her AI choral soundscapes and the voice‑clone Holly+, emphasizing consensual data collection and ownership. Jordan Rudess used Moises for vocal isolation and Suno for idea development, and later performed with jam_bot, an AI system trained on his own playing and developed at MIT Media Lab. L’Rain’s Taja Cheek presented music she described as “anti‑algorithmic,” highlighting community and experimental layering.

Financial context was provided by the scale of investment in generative AI. Suno recently raised $400 million, valuing the company at $5.4 billion, while ElevenLabs raised $500 million, valuing it at $11 billion. The summit’s sponsors included major AI and tech companies such as Adobe, Spotify and ElevenLabs.

BEATL’s head of artistic technology Jonathan Wyner asked the audience whether students would be worse off if they refused AI training or relied heavily on it. The response was evenly split, indicating uncertainty among the next generation of musicians.

The summit concluded with the announcement that AIMS would return next year. BEATL also stated plans to establish a student advisory board to address the concerns raised during the event.

AIMS offered a nuanced view of AI in music, moving beyond hype to examine legal, ethical and economic implications. The event highlighted the need for clear policies, fair compensation and transparent data practices as the industry adapts to rapid technological change.