Musician and producer Jack Antonoff has escalated the culture clash over artificial intelligence in music, denouncing generative tools and those who use them while casting traditional music-making as a sacred act.

On Thursday, Antonoff posted a lengthy letter to Instagram, railing against what he called “AI slop” and new technologies that let people “fake making art.”¹ He argued that AI shortcuts undermine the labor and craft of musicians who write, record, and perform their own material.

In the post, Antonoff told people excited about using AI to create art to “by all means drive right off that cliff,” adding, “We’re genuinely happy to see you go.”² He later went further, describing those making AI-generated music as “Godless whores,” a phrase that quickly drew attention for its severity.²

Explaining his position, the 42‑year‑old songwriter — known for work with Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar — framed music-making as an “ancient ritual” and a “holy process” that should not be automated or optimized.² He criticized people “looking for a way to make songwriting easier or quicker,” saying you no longer “have to write music anymore, you don’t have to record it, and you don’t have to bring the band out and play it” if you rely on AI tools.²

Antonoff claimed he was speaking for “everyone I know,” warning that “bad actors” using AI would be exposed by the “slop” they release on streaming services.² He also insisted that the emerging generation of musicians he encounters is largely uninterested in AI-generated music, aligning himself with industry figures such as major labels and artists who argue AI songs lack “soul” and authenticity.²

While some music companies are embracing AI for specific tasks, from mastering to songwriting assistants, Antonoff’s outburst underscores a hardening faction within the creative community that sees the technology not as a tool, but as an existential threat to what they consider real art.¹²