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An AI musician just got a multi-million dollar record deal

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ZDNET's key takeaways

An AI-generated artist got a $3 million record deal.

A human artist uses AI platform Suno to generate the persona.

Creative industries continue to sue AI companies.

An AI-generated musician persona run by a human R&B artist has received a $3 million record deal -- amidst several lawsuits targeting AI companies encroaching on creative industries.

Also: Will AI damage human creativity? Most Americans say yes

Telisha "Nikki" Jones, who's behind the AI-generated artist Xania Monet, accepted the record deal, which is with Hallwood Media. She combines elements of her real-life songwriting abilities with AI-generated vocals, images, and musical production.

Jones uses AI music generation startup Suno -- which is currently being sued by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) -- to make her music. This scenario presents two sides of one coin: While the RIAA claims Suno stole audio from YouTube videos, bypassing legal protections, others are using the platform to achieve stardom they wouldn't have accessed otherwise.

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