Bette Midler Flames Chart-Topping AI Song as ‘Cultural Genocide’

Renowned singer Bette Midler voiced her vehement opposition to the AI-generated song "Celebrate Me," deeming it an egregious form of "cultural genocide." In a fiery Instagram post, the 73-year-old artist lambasted the viral hit, which currently graces the charts, as a contraption of a machine that "stole every lick, every riff, every thought, phrasing style, every choke in the voice, every sorrowful sound from thousands of human artists since the beginning of recorded music."

Midler underscored the lack of compensation for the artists on whose work the machine was trained, describing the creation as a "cultural genocide." The song, a R&B empowerment anthem, topped the iTunes charts in the US and several other countries in April, and the AI pop star behind it, IngaRose, has amassed over 315,000 followers on TikTok.

Ironically, "Celebrate Me" is a song about resilience and survival, sung by an AI-generated voice amidst its human-like struggles. While many fans applauded Midler's stance, some prominent voices, including Tyrese Gibson, challenged her criticism. The "Fast & Furious" star defended AI, stating, "AI isn't going anywhere. Complain, complain and it just makes it more popular."

However, Midler's critique resonated with other artists, such as Natasha Bedingfield, who called the song "so wrong" for its apparent theft of other artists' voices.