Music, manipulation and mayhem. Thursday 25 September, 2025 In this episode, Bonnie and Ross dive into the world of AI’s impact on music, art, and society. They discuss the latest news in AI, from government adoption and military contracts to the growing influence of AI in the creative industries. The conversation explores the tension between technological progress and the need to protect artists, musicians, and the public from the unintended consequences of AI. Topics include: AI in Government & Industry Albania appoints an AI bot as a virtual minister for public procurement. Scale AI lands major US defense contracts for military planning and simulations. Microsoft’s Copilot is being adopted by the US House of Representatives and auto-installed on Windows PCs. The UK and US sign a $30 billion tech prosperity deal covering AI, quantum computing, and cloud infrastructure. Australia’s first renewable power AI facility and major bank investments in AI-driven scam detection. AI & The Creative Industries The Stork Club in Oakland bans AI-generated artwork to protect local artists. The rise and controversy of AI-generated music, including Spotify’s use of AI tracks in playlists and the Velvet Sundown case. Deezer’s battle with a surge of AI-generated tracks and the need for detection and tagging systems. The impact of AI on artists’ livelihoods and the debate over copyright, compensation, and transparency. Ethics, Regulation, and Societal Impact The need for transparency and labelling of AI-generated art and music. Sweden’s launch of the world’s first AI music training license to ensure compensation and credit for songwriters. The risks of AI-generated misinformation in government and public institutions, including fabricated citations and erosion of trust. The emergence of “synthetic audiences” for market research and the implications for authenticity and reputation. Personal Reflections & Tools Bonnie shares her experience with freckle.io for data enrichment and market research. Ross discusses Google’s Notebook LM for learning and content creation, and his experiments with Suno for AI-generated music. Timestamps   00:00 – Intro & Hosts Welcome 01:22 – The Stork Club bans AI-generated artwork 01:55 – AI in government: Albania appoints an AI virtual minister 02:08 – Discussion: AI, bias, and PR stunts in government 02:08 – Scale AI’s US defense contracts & military AI 02:53 – Microsoft Copilot in the US House of Representatives 04:45 – UK & US sign $30B tech prosperity deal 05:53 – Australia’s renewable AI facility & bank AI for scam detection 07:58 – The Stork Club’s stance on AI art and protecting local artists 08:28 – Impact of AI on creative professionals and copyright 09:14 – AI-generated music: The Velvet Sundown case 11:49 – Spotify’s use of AI-generated music in playlists 13:04 – Diversity issues in AI music generation 14:34 – Sweden’s AI music training license for copyright and compensation 15:35 – Deezer’s battle with AI-generated tracks 16:26 – AI and reputational risk for organizations 17:21 – AI-generated misinformation in government/public institutions 18:20 – The risk to democracy from AI-generated content 18:23 – “Synthetic audiences” for market research 21:43 – The tension between progress, efficiency, and societal responsibility 23:25 – AI manipulation: Deepfakes, blackmail, and the need for regulation 25:42 – What AI services are the hosts loving this week? 26:39 – Bonnie on freckle.io for data enrichment 28:18 – Ross on Google Notebook LM and Suno for AI music 29:55 – Listener contact info & outro 30:24 – HypeCloud AI theme song