An AI-generated country song, 'Walk My Walk' by the artist Breaking Rust, has reached number one on a US Billboard singles chart. The track tops Billboard's Country Digital Songs sales chart and has amassed over three million streams on Spotify in less than a month.
Breaking Rust also holds the top spot on Spotify's US 'Viral 50' chart, while another of its tracks, 'Livin' on Borrowed Time', sits at number five with over four million streams. The creator of Breaking Rust remains anonymous, but the act's TikTok page has nearly 200,000 followers, and 'Walk My Walk' has been used in over 150,000 videos on the platform.
This success follows a trend of AI-generated artists achieving high streaming numbers. Earlier this year, The Velvet Sundown gained around 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners within a month, later revealed as a hoax. AI artist Xania Monet also made headlines for signing a multimillion-dollar record deal and becoming the first AI act to chart on Billboard.
Criticism of AI in music continues. Singer Kehlani called AI 'so beyond out of our control', while others like Mac DeMarco and SZA have voiced opposition. However, ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus described AI as 'such a great tool'. A recent Deezer survey found that 97% of people cannot distinguish between real and AI-generated music, and only 19% trust AI in music production.
Spotify has responded by removing 75 million 'spammy tracks' and strengthening AI protections for artists. British musicians including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, and Elton John have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to protect creative work amid the rise of AI.
