Is AI looting SA culture? Kabza De Small tops list of copied musicians
<p>Kabza De Small was found to have the biggest presence across the audited AI training datasets</p>
<p>Image: File</p>
<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to <a href="https://iol.co.za/entertainment/music/2026-01-16-rea-gopane-on-ai-and-creativity-as-his-music-finds-streaming-success/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">make its presence felt in the music industry</a>, changing the way songs are created, produced and distributed. </p>
<p>While some <a href="https://iol.co.za/entertainment/music/2026-05-13-credo-v-daniels-says-ai-is-just-a-tool-as-album-gains-traction-on-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">musicians see AI as a tool</a> that can help speed up certain parts of the creative process, others remain concerned about what it means for originality, ownership and the value of <a href="https://iol.co.za/entertainment/music/2026-01-26-nanette-and-filah-lah-lah-stand-firm-against-ai-a-quest-for-authenticity-in-the-music-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">human creativity</a>.</p>
<p>The conversation has been especially heated in South Africa, where artists such as Nanette and Filah Lah Lah have publicly spoken out against the growing use of AI in music. </p>
<p>Nanette previously argued that AI is no substitute for human creativity, while Filah Lah Lah questioned whether musicians are being told their years of dedication and craft are being reduced to something that can be replicated by technology.</p>
<p>The new revelation has added another layer to the debate. </p>
<p>According to Doreen Mokoena, founder and CEO of Cybersec Clinique, an audit of major artificial intelligence training datasets found that the work of hundreds of South African artists appears in publicly documented datasets used to develop AI music systems.</p>







