How AI is Creating Wild New Musical Languages (And Why It’s Not What You Think)

Okay, let’s talk about AI in music—because it’s not just about robots stealing jobs or churning out soulless background tracks. Two artists, Ville Haimala and Yaboi Hanoi, are using AI in ways that actually expand creativity instead of flattening it. And honestly? It’s way more exciting than the usual doom-and-gloom takes.

AI Music Isn’t Just “Vanilla” Copycat Stuff

You’ve probably heard the panic: “AI is coming for artists!” And yeah, if we’re talking about those generic AI-generated Spotify playlists or ChatGPT writing bland pop lyrics, I get it. But Ville Haimala (of the experimental electronic duo Amnesia Scanner) isn’t interested in making AI mimic humans.

“AI tries to mimic the most common human behavior,” he says. “I wanted to see what happens if I push beyond that.”

His new project, Hyporeal, is basically AI gone rogue. Instead of feeding it prompts like “make a chill lo-fi beat,” he sets up feedback loops where the AI modifies its own inputs until it starts creating something… well, alien.

The Rick Rubin of AI Music?

Haimala jokes that his role is like Rick Rubin—sitting back, listening, and telling the AI: “Nope, that still sounds too human. Try again.” The result? A sound that doesn’t just imitate existing genres but invents new ones.

And here’s the thing: AI isn’t replacing human creativity here—it’s becoming its own thing.

Yaboi Hanoi: AI as a Cultural Time Capsule

Meanwhile, Lamtharn ‘Hanoi’ Hantrakul (aka Yaboi Hanoi) is using AI to preserve and reinvent Thai music traditions. Most AI models are trained on Western music (piano scales, 4/4 beats, etc.), which means they often erase non-Western musical structures.

Hanoi’s 2022 AI Song Contest winner, “Enter Demons and Gods,” blends Thai tuning systems with AI-generated sounds—creating something that feels both ancient and futuristic.

“If a machine learning model is trained on Thai history, architecture, and melodies, it becomes a living artifact of that culture,” he says.

Instead of making AI homogenize music, he’s using it to amplify cultural uniqueness.

Why This Matters for Musicians

AI Can Be a Collaborator, Not a Replacement
- Both artists treat AI like a bandmate, not a replacement. It’s about guiding the tech to do something unexpected.
New Tools = New Sounds
- AI can help break out of predictable scales and rhythms, especially for genres outside Western pop.
The “Background Music” Problem
- Let’s be real: AI will take over corporate jingles, workout playlists, and ad music. But that just means human-made art becomes more valuable.

Where to See This in Action

Both Haimala and Hanoi are performing at Sónar+D in Barcelona (June 2025), a festival that’s been exploring AI’s role in music since 2016. If you’re into weird, futuristic soundscapes, this is the place to be.

Final Thought: AI Won’t Kill Music—It’ll Make the Weird Stuff Weirder

The fear isn’t totally unfounded—AI can flood the market with generic slop. But artists like these prove that when you push AI beyond imitation, it becomes a tool for real innovation.

So yeah, maybe AI will replace elevator music. But the stuff that actually moves people? That’s still human (with a little machine help).

“How Ville Haimala and Yaboi Hanoi Use AI to Revolutionize Music”