An AI-generated country song has reached number one on a US Billboard chart, highlighting the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the music industry. 'Walk My Walk', released by the anonymous AI artist Breaking Rust, tops Billboard's Country Digital Songs sales chart and has amassed over three million streams on Spotify in less than a month.
The track also leads Spotify's 'Viral 50' chart in the US, while another Breaking Rust song, 'Livin' on Borrowed Time', sits at number five with over four million streams. The creator remains unidentified, but the act's TikTok page has gained nearly 200,000 followers, with 'Walk My Walk' used in over 150,000 videos.
This is the latest in a series of AI-generated music successes. Earlier this year, The Velvet Sundown gained 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners before being revealed as a hoax. Meanwhile, AI artist Xania Monet signed a multimillion-dollar record deal and became the first AI act to chart on Billboard. Her creator, Telisha Jones, defended the project, saying she views Monet 'as a real person'.
The rise of AI music has sparked criticism from artists like Kehlani, who called it 'so beyond out of our control', and Mac DeMarco and SZA. A Deezer survey found that 97% of people cannot distinguish between AI and human-made music, and 51% believe AI could lead to generic-sounding tracks. A separate study warned that music workers could lose a quarter of their income to AI within four years.
Spotify has responded by removing 75 million 'spammy tracks' and strengthening protections for artists. In September, British stars including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush and Elton John urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to protect creatives from the impact of AI.
