Before the conversation on music and AI began between YouTube/Google Music Chief Lyor Cohen and artist Jidenna, a bold statement flashed across the screen: the new Wu-Tang Clan music video for “Mandingo”, crafted entirely with Google’s Veo 2 AI video generator. Every photorealistic frame was generated using AI — a jaw-dropping display of how artificial intelligence is reshaping visual music storytelling.
“I almost fell out of my chair,” Cohen admitted. “I would challenge anybody to say, ‘That’s not art.’ It’s absolutely artistic and incredibly well done.”
Held at San Vicente, a private club in New York, the event featured hip-hop legends Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, and Wyclef Jean among the intimate crowd, setting the stage for Jidenna to discuss his evolution from major-label rapper to independent, AI-forward creative.
Known for his 2015 Grammy-nominated single “Classic Man”, Jidenna emphasized that AI offers marginalized creators a new form of expression, much like hip hop did in its early days. “Just like hip hop, they say it’s not art,” he said. “Just like hip hop, they say, ‘Oh, that’s illegal.’ That’s what we call sampling.”
The discussion didn’t avoid hot-button issues like copyright, deepfakes, and the ethics of data training. Cohen acknowledged the discomfort but urged creators to lean in rather than resist. “There’s no way to block this from happening,” he said. “Let’s believe that creative people will take it to the next level.”
YouTube Music’s senior corporate counsel Kevin Montler was also present to offer legal perspective. He emphasized the lag between law and innovation, stating, “The tech is ahead of the law. And even in industry groups, we’re not seeing continuity in position. Everybody’s trying to figure it out.”
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Jidenna agreed, saying artists’ rights must be protected but warning against fear-based resistance. “I don’t think we have a system fast enough to catch up with tech,” he said, noting that he was at Stanford University with OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman.
He also challenged the notion that AI content is “fake”, stating, “Social media is more fake than what I do. But they call it artificial.” His approach reflects an embrace of AI as a creative tool, not a threat. “You have to not be afraid of that leap,” he said. “If you embrace it, trust me, I learned everything through trial and error.”
AI’s rapid evolution was another major theme. According to Jidenna, updates to AI tools happen “every week”, leading those in Hollywood to refer to Mondays as “Miserable Monday.” He disagrees. “I call it Magical Monday. If you don’t embrace change, it’s gonna be miserable.”
With the Wu-Tang Clan pioneering AI-generated visuals, and artists like Jidenna helping to define a new frontier, the music industry stands at a crossroads — one where creativity, technology, and authorship are being redefined in real-time.
