The rise of AI-generated lo-fi music is transforming the popular chill music scene on YouTube, with many channels potentially using artificial intelligence to create their content rather than human musicians.

A notable example is the channel "what is ?", which launched in September 2024 and rapidly gained over 130,000 subscribers. Music influencer Derrick Gee investigated this channel and found several suspicious elements:

• No artist credits in track listings
• Hour-long videos with similar musical styles
• Only playlist links in bio, no artist information
• Engagement with comments suggesting AI usage

Using AI tools like Suno, creators can generate lo-fi instrumental tracks by simply inputting keywords like "chill lo-fi instrumental." The resulting music closely resembles traditional lo-fi beats, making it difficult for listeners to distinguish between AI-generated and human-created content.

Current YouTube policies only require AI disclosure when content could be mistaken for real people, places, or events. This policy gap, combined with YouTube's monetization of AI-generated content, has created an environment where AI lo-fi channels can thrive without transparency.

Key implications:

• Growing prevalence of AI-generated music on streaming platforms
• Challenges for human musicians in the lo-fi genre
• Need for clear disclosure policies regarding AI-generated music
• Potential impact on music authenticity and artist recognition

For comparison, traditional lo-fi channels like Odysseus continue to provide comprehensive track listings and artist credits, including links to musicians' Bandcamp pages, maintaining transparency and supporting human artists.

The trend of AI-generated lo-fi music is likely to expand, as evidenced by numerous YouTube tutorials teaching creators how to use AI tools for music generation. This shift raises important questions about the future of music creation and artist compensation in the digital age.

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