South Africa, March 25 -- New platforms have mushroomed almost overnight, making it possible for anyone, with a simple prompt and a subscription, to generate a song that sounds remarkably polished.

To many artists, this feels like an existential threat. If anyone can create a song with AI, what happens to the art of making music?

It's a fair question. But I think the panic might be missing the bigger picture.

The song that sparked debate

In South Africa's dance music community, the debate reached boiling point following the viral success of Suka! by Rea Gopane.

The track has become one of the most talked-about songs in the urban music ecosystem, not just because of its sound, but because it is widely recognised as the first major AI-...