How I transformed myself from a dance artist into an all-male post-punk band using AI – and what that means for other musicians

If you click on Intelligent Band Machine’s Spotify profile, you’ll see a picture of three young men staring moodily back at the camera. Their profile confirms that they are a “British band” “influenced by the post-punk scene” and attempt to capture the spirit of bands like The Cure “while carving out their own unique sound.” When you listen to their music, you might be reminded of Ian Curtis from Joy Division.

If you dig a little deeper and read about them on their record label’s page, you’ll find that Cameron is the lead singer and his taste in music was shaped by the concerts he attended at the Rock City nightclub in Nottingham. Tyler, the drummer, actually took inspiration from The Cure, U2 and The Smiths, while guitarist Antonio combines his Italian mother’s love of classic Italian folk songs with his British father’s passion for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

What these profiles don’t say is that Intelligent Band Machine isn’t real,…