Last December, a K-pop trio named GLXE (pronounced \u2018galaxy\u2019) debuted without any of the hallmarks of idol marketing. Gone were the lavish photoshoots and orchestrated teasers: the three male singers simply appeared on TikTok, ready-packaged with epic musical build-ups and cinematic punches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It only takes a moment to realise GLXE are generative AI, albeit impressively rendered. But it takes longer to clock that their voices and songs are also entirely AI, made with Suno, a generative music platform with two million paid subscribers. Trained on millions of songs and capable of spitting out a full track via a few text prompts, Suno is currently embroiled in a spate of multi-million dollar lawsuits with the world\u2019s biggest music labels over copyright infringement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, GLXE are following the K-pop playbook to a tee: a fandom name (Stars), dance challenges, several albums in quick succession, listening parties, and livestreams. Their fandom, which is small yet growing, do not care about the increasingly loud criticism of AI in K-pop: \u201cThank you for giving us three wonderful people whose voices convey the most beautiful feelings,\u201d writes one fan under a TikTok featuring the silvery-grey haired virtual singer Manilla. \u201cThank you for creating songs that say so much, and melodies that invite us to dream.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Among K-pop fans more widely, however, dissent against AI is mounting. The technology first became part of K-pop\u2019s lexicon via groups like aespa, who debuted in 2020 with their (human-designed) virtual avatars<\/a> (also referred to as AI counterparts), and MAVE:<\/a>, who used AI to communicate in multiple languages. But where these acts were once symbols of forward-thinking creativity, with the introduction of Supertone\u2019s short-lived AI girl group Syndi8 in 2024 and the increase of AI wannabe-idols like GLXE this year, \u2018AI\u2019 has increasingly become fandom shorthand for LLMs and generative AI, a symbol of a world on fire, late stage capitalism, climate crisis, and a death knell for creativity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt sparks serious concerns about authorship and authenticity,\u201d Hyd, one fifth of popular fan account ENHYPEN ASIA<\/a>, tells Dazed. \u201cAs fans, we do not simply consume finished songs or performances, we witness the years of training, discipline, and exhaustion. That\u2019s why AI sparks serious concerns about authorship and authenticity.\u201d<\/p>\n K-pop and tech have always gone hand-in-hand; there\u2019s a direct correlation between the rise of K-pop in the West to the ubiquitous adoption of social media, digital music platforms, and livestreaming in the 2010s, and the industry was quick to jump on NFTs and blockchain in 2022. In 2023, HYBE chairman Bang Shi-Huk, one of K-pop\u2019s most powerful figures, told Billboard that he has \u201clong doubted that the entities that create and produce music will remain human.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Since then, South Korea \u2013 whose modern economic success is intrinsically tied to technology \u2013 has become hooked on generative AI. Last year it was the biggest consumer worldwide<\/a> of AI slop videos, and in January 2026, the AI Basic Act<\/a> was passed in an attempt to curb misuse and protect consumers. In a 2025 South Korean survey<\/a>, 70 per cent of people believed AI would have a positive effect on society. It\u2019s no surprise, then, that K-pop industry execs seem to share this belief.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even famed creatives, like video director Rima Yoon and NewJeans\u2019 former CEO and creative director Min Hee-jin<\/a>, have publicly embraced AI. JYP subsidiary Blue Garage claims to be \u201ccreating a new kind of IP using AI technology\u201d, SM Entertainment\u2019s co-CEO Daniel Jang<\/a> announced plans to use AI within their A&R systems, and, in September of last year, the label released a fully AI generated video for aespa\u2019s \u201cRich Man (Yellow Claw Remix)<\/a>\u201d. Two months later, in December 2025, Galaxy Corporation CEO Choi Yong-ho declared that generative AI in K-pop music videos, at least, is now the new normal<\/a>: “Most music videos will be created by artificial intelligence except for lead singles. Costs will come down, and efficiency will go up.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n For many K-pop fans, however, the problem isn’t just that generative AI is being utilised but that companies are doing so with little transparency. Dr. Sarah Keith, a senior lecturer in music and media at Sydney\u2019s Macquarie University and who has written extensively on fandoms, points to a Reddit post within the K-pop community about an AI video effects artist who claimed to have worked on countless K-pop videos where AI use was not disclosed. \u201cK-pop fans want to make sure that artists are not exploited so when they see AI being used, it\u2019s seen as a sign of management cutting corners or underinvesting,\u201d she explains of the outrage around this post. \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t management pay a little more to get something that didn’t look like AI slop? It comes down to humanism and authenticity, but also, \u2018Don\u2019t lie to us as fans. Don\u2019t act like you’re investing in this photoshoot but actually it was mostly AI-generated\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n The AI artist Dr. Keith is referring to is Oh Jaewon, who founded his own AI-based VFX studio called Oloid in 2025. Rather than seeing AI as replacing creativity, however, he believes it\u2019s simply another tool in an artist\u2019s arsenal. \u201cI think the concerns that fans have are understandable,\u201d he tells Dazed over email. \u201cThe common perception is that AI is used as a low-cost replacement but in many cases we\u2019re asked for visuals that have a specific AI-driven aesthetic. There\u2019s also a misconception that AI VFX is always cheaper than traditional 3D VFX when, in practice, aligning AI-generated imagery with real footage can be technically demanding and time-consuming. AI changes what creatives do, rather than removing the need for them altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian Jenkins, the former VP of business development, Asia-Pacific, for Warner Chappell Music, extends this to the use of AI in music making itself. \u201cThere\u2019s this line of thinking that AI fits in the same world as Pro Logic, Pro Tools, and all of those creation tools that exist to help songwriters develop and create new music,\u201d he tells Dazed. \u201cWe\u2019re still coming to grips with it. Every label is looking at AI and trying to figure out how to use it in different ways. AI music, AI idols, they become their own genre and there are people who like those idols.\u201d<\/p>\n But, for Dr. Keith, this usage comes with some big moral questions. \u201cDo artists need to disclose it if they get AI to tweak the instruments?\u201d she asks. \u201cTo make things even more complicated, services like Suno and Udio have their own digital audio workstations, so you can create a song, start to finish, and it could be part-AI and part-human generated, but [that ratio] might be 99:1 or 1:99. It\u2019s only going to get more nebulous on what is AI and what isn\u2019t.\u201d For the moment, generative AI music cannot secure publishing or performance rights, but Jenkins warns that this \u201cis a fight that\u2019s going to come soon\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe threat is K-pop without Korea. Is the future of K-pop AI generated idol groups by Chinese or Russian creators?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 Dr. Sarah Keith, senior lecturer in music and media at Macquarie University, Sydney<\/p>\n Dr. Keith also adds that there\u2019s a bigger, cultural question at stake. \u201cThe threat is K-pop without Korea,\u201d she says. \u201cIs the future of K-pop AI generated idol groups by Chinese or Russian creators? That will be a huge headache for the Korean government which has put so much money into cultivating K-pop as the cornerstone of Korea\u2019s public image and economy. For that reason, K-pop will be quite interested in maintaining the human and the Korean connection. At its core, Korea will not move far from the training system. It may experiment with generative AI but not so much that it actually dilutes the whole market.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Orion, the creator of AI K-pop group GLXE, however, is largely unperturbed by these fraught moral questions \u2013 and argues that most of his fans aren\u2019t either. \u201cThere are people who are gonna be anti-AI until they die,\u201d he tells Dazed. \u201cSome are on the fence, like, \u2018Oh, I wish they weren’t AI, but I love the music\u2019. But 90 per cent say, \u2018I don\u2019t care that it\u2019s AI, I just love them\u2019, or that they like them better because they\u2019re AI and not being manipulated or taken advantage of by a label.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s grown accustomed to his work being described as \u2018AI slop\u2019 \u2013 \u201cSomeone called me a \u2018slopperator\u2019, which I found quite funny\u201d \u2013 but he also argues that critics underestimate just how much of his own energy he\u2019s put into the GLXE project. \u201cYes, AI makes everything easier and possible, but it takes a person managing it, directing it, curating it. You have to have a creative vision of what you want to accomplish. You can\u2019t ask AI for a hot guy doing a Blackpink dance, and it\u2019ll just do it. That\u2019s not how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cSomeone called me a \u2018slopperator\u2019, which I found quite funny\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 Orion, creator of AI K-pop act GLXE<\/p>\n For Orion, AI software like Veo3 and Suno are tools of democratisation, allowing him to enter an industry which is otherwise near-impossible to crack. \u201cI tried reaching out to producers on my favourite K-pop songs saying, \u2018How do I start? I\u2019ve got this idea for a group\u2019 but I didn\u2019t hear back, so I decided to make it happen myself,\u201d he explains of the project\u2019s conception. \u201cI write lyrics. I don\u2019t pretend to be a musician but I\u2019ve got these \u2018advanced samples\u2019 [Orion\u2019s way of referring to songs made in Suno] that I\u2019ve worked on. I want GLXE to not be AI, that\u2019s my dream.\u201d<\/p>\n Orion and his online ilk might not threaten the multi-billion dollar idol industry right now, but it\u2019d be remiss not to consider them a warning shot over the parapet. Like it or not, the role of AI in K-pop music is rapidly becoming unavoidable, and fans, artists and labels alike need to decide what future they want to invest in.<\/p>\n For the remaining members of the ENHYPEN ASIA fan account, the answer is simple. \u201cInnovation itself is not the enemy, but the future of K-pop depends on protecting the human touch,\u201d stresses group member Mitch. \u201cWithout it, the genre risks becoming technically flawless but emotionally distant.\u201d Their fellow moderator, Cha, agrees: \u201cIt\u2019s about the choices the idol makes, and the moments where their personalities and creativity shine through. That\u2019s what makes their work feel alive and irreplaceable. Technology should support their artistry, not overshadow it, because the heart of their music and performances comes from them, and that is what keeps fans engaged and inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n The future of K-pop depends on protecting the human touch. Without it, the genre risks becoming technically flawless but emotionally distant.<\/p>\n \u2013 Mitch, ENHYPEN ASIA\u00a0<\/p>\n While K-pop companies are continuing to integrate AI in one form or another, we must remind ourselves that inevitability does not have to mean acceptance. If fandoms do not want generative AI in their idols\u2019 content \u2013 whether that\u2019s ChatGPT for lyrics, Suno for music or Nano Banana for video \u2013 then fandoms must make that clear beyond venting their anger on social platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n The K-pop machine, like all machines, can be broken. No one in K-pop, says Brian Jenkins, even the seemingly indomitable Big 4 labels (YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and HYBE) are infallible to failure when fandoms close their eyes and wallets. \u201cIt\u2019s happened to all of them. As much success as they\u2019ve had, they’ve also had quite a few duds. If fans don\u2019t like AI and don\u2019t engage with it, it\u2019s not going anywhere,\u201d Jenkins continues. \u201cK-pop puts out tons of music every year, and a very small portion of it succeeds and a lot of it doesn\u2019t because fans decide they didn\u2019t like the group, whether it\u2019s the music or look, whatever it might be. AI will be judged by the same harsh glare that everything else is in K-pop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last December, a K-pop trio named GLXE (pronounced \u2018galaxy\u2019) debuted without any of the hallmarks of idol marketing.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,1897,733,4308,19010,19009,19011,19012,19013,19014,19015,709,2332,19007,19008,128,86,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-511952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-art","10":"tag-artificial-intelligence","11":"tag-artificialintelligence","12":"tag-dazed","13":"tag-dazed-confused","14":"tag-dazed-confused-magazine","15":"tag-dazed-and-confused","16":"tag-dazed-and-confused-magazine","17":"tag-dazedconfused","18":"tag-dazeddigital","19":"tag-fashion","20":"tag-film","21":"tag-ideas","22":"tag-ideas-sharing-network","23":"tag-music","24":"tag-technology","25":"tag-uk","26":"tag-united-kingdom","27":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}