Don’t take every rumor at face value.

This week, a multitude of headlines and viral social media alerts asserted that an AI country track had ascended to the top of the Billboard country charts. If a song generated by AI had genuinely achieved the No. 1 spot in country music, it would be revolutionary news.

The track at the center of this claim is “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust, an AI-generated “artist.” While social media buzzed about the AI song’s alleged chart success, it is actually Morgan Wallen, a human musician, who remained at the pinnacle of the Billboard country chart. (I reached out to Billboard for insight and will provide an update upon receiving a reply.)

So, what’s the truth? “Walk My Walk” did climb to the top of a chart, specifically the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales Chart. However, the current trend shows that very few individuals purchase digital singles anymore. On Spotify’s Country Top 50 chart, Breaking Rust is nonexistent, despite the extensive media attention this week.

As is often the case, social media got it wrong. On YouTube, the song has accumulated only 38,944 views as of this writing.

Having been raised in the South and having listened to a significant amount of country pop, I can attest that many such songs have a similar sound. Pop country is rife with tropes and has been extensively satirized, and “Walk My Walk” embodies numerous clichés. Its lyrics include lines such as “Got mud on my jeans” and “I was born this way.” Even the title of the song and the “artist’s” name are rather commonplace.

“Walk My Walk” is a trite country song title, and Breaking Rust typifies the country-sounding yet uninspired name one would expect from generative AI.

On an initial hearing, the song could easily blend in with other country or Bluegrass pop favorites, which serves to critique the genre rather than exalt AI. Should “Walk My Walk” seem genuine, it’s likely because it was produced by an AI model that was trained on authentic country tracks without any artist’s consent. Numerous musicians consider generative AI as a form of large-scale theft and plagiarism.

According to The Tennessean, the works of Breaking Rust are credited to Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor, an obscure creator lacking any online footprint.

AI creators are likely here to remain. I have previously discussed the peculiar occurrence of AI “actors,” and you can anticipate an increase in AI-generated content appearing in your feeds moving forward.

This article presents the writer’s viewpoint.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, the parent company of Mashable, initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, claiming it violated Ziff Davis copyrights while training and operating its AI systems.