Last July, Nigerian singer-songwriter Fave became the center of a viral moment when an unauthorized version of one of her tracks featuring an AI-generated choir was released online. To address the situation, she recorded her own remix that incorporated the AI-assisted song and added it to her official discography.
According to Oyinkansola Fawehinmi, a Lagos-based entertainment lawyer, this move was both smart and business-savvy. She explained that Fave essentially reclaimed the AI version and released it as her own official expression.
Many of Africa's music markets are considered particularly vulnerable to the threat of AI-generated music that plagiarizes the work of real artists, due to relatively weak legal frameworks for intellectual property protection. There are also broader concerns regarding the deepfake market. In a related incident, South Africa recently withdrew the draft of its national AI policy after it was discovered that the document contained AI-generated citations.
The Atlantic Music Expo, held this month in Cape Verde, focused heavily on AI. Cape Verde is one of the few African states with a dedicated AI policy. Benito Lopes, the expo's director since 2024, said the discussions aimed to give performers more knowledge to explore AI in the best way possible without losing their human identity or creativity.
Augusto Jorge de Albuquerque Veiga, Cape Verde's culture minister, has a goal of making the country a hub of world culture, especially in music. He emphasized the importance of ensuring local artists receive the financial support needed to make a living in the modern world. He stated that one must work with AI, not be consumed by it, adding that AI will never cover what is authentic. He noted that AI is already the present, so it must be discussed and ways found to work with it for the country, culture, and future.
Given that the culture ministry's budget is $6 million, less than 1% of the national budget, Veiga has been lobbying for allocations from Cape Verde's tourism tax and has created diaspora bonds targeting the large diaspora in places like Boston and Lisbon.
The expo, which precedes the Kriol Jazz Festival, has long aimed to be a bridge between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, while also emphasizing the importance of live music and human interaction in an era of synthetic sounds.
Patche di Rima, a veteran Bissau-Guinean singer who performed on the last day, expressed his gratitude for being at the event, noting that an artist without media and networking is nothing.
Most delegates highlighted how AI-driven tools for mixing, mastering, and data-driven marketing offer indie artists with shoestring budgets a way to compete globally. Entrepreneurs in the sector were keen to stress that AI is not a replacement for talent.
José Moura, co-founder of Sona, an AI startup that helps artists use text prompts to polish songs, said the technology can empower artists in the global south to extend their reach without compromising the uniqueness of their music. He explained that homogenization happens when the tool doesn't know where the artist is from. Unlike conventional AI that trains on global averages, Sona is built on local music and governed by local artists, so when it amplifies a sound, it amplifies exactly what makes it unique. He described it as the opposite of erasure, with artists deciding what gets preserved before the AI touches anything.
Sambaiana, a seven-woman ensemble from Brazil, gave their first performance outside their home country at the expo. For the group, which is a rarity in the male-dominated samba genre, it was an opportunity to connect with a new but familiar world. Lead singer Ju Moraes said they felt honored to represent Brazilian music style and recognized the energy, people, culture, and even architecture as very similar to Bahia.
Rayra Mayara, a vocalist who also plays the four-stringed cavaquinho, said technology cannot match the emotion of being on stage. She stated that no technology can substitute the feeling they give when they play, sing, and talk about their daily lives. AI can complement the production process but is not a substitute for the human element.
