Timbaland Faces Backlash After Signing An A.I. Artist

Timbaland, known for his many achievements such as collaborating with artists such as Aaliyah, Ludacris, Nelly, and Beyonce, is now back in the headlines.

His trending again isn’t because of new music but because he is signing with new artists, not just any artist, but an A.I. artist named TaTa, according to a press release shared on June 5.

This comes after Timbaland launches a new AI-focused music company, Stage Zero.

“She’s not an avatar. She is not a character. Tata is a living, learning, autonomous music artist built with AI. Tata is the start of something bigger. She’s the first artist of a generation, A-pop is the next cultural evolution, and Tata is his first icon,” Timbaland said.

His A.I. music company was co-founded alongside award-winning producer Rocky Mudalair, who was behind Inmate #1, Bisping, and Breaking Olympia, and AI music strategist and co-creator Timbo I-do, Zayd Portillo.

Stage Zero operated independently from Suno, which advises music on AI integration. Currently, Suno is being sued by record majors for copyright infringement. Despite this, Timbaland became an official partner with them in October 2024.

The founder of Stage Zero told Rolling Stone that music is created through collaborations with Suno, where Timbaland uploads multiple demos, allowing Suno to process them and craft lyrics based on them.

According to Timbaland, A.I. artist, TaTa’s voice originated from Suno, and it quickly caught his attention.

“It came to a point where I’m like, yo, this voice, it’s amazing,” Timbaland said.

He stated in a statement that he’s producing more than just tracks and that he’s creating everything from scratch.

“I’m not just producing tracks anymore. I’m producing system stories and stars from scratch,” he said.

Mudaliar then said that future artists won’t be just human, saying, “The artist of tomorrow won’t just be human. They’ll be IP, code, and robotics that are fully autonomous. That’s what we’re building at stage zero.”

Timbaland also spoke to Billboard in support of AI, saying, “The technology of today is perfect for what it is. What used to take me three months only takes me two days. In the beginning, it was like a toy. It was like going to a toy store. You gotta go through gluttony because you cannot believe it’s here.”

Despite these talks, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding this project. Young Guru took to Instagram to call out Timbaland for using AI.

He states, “I’m going to say it again. I swear I love you, bro, but this ain’t it. Do you not realize what is going on in the world? Your voice is powerful and way too important to do anything like this. I have students who worship you. They’re going to say, ‘If Tim can do it, then it’s OK for me to do it.’ These are the times, right here, that history is defined. Human expression can never be reduced to this. This is way bigger than music. I say this in all love.”

Stage Zero hinted at future places that include more artists like TaTa. “This is just the beginning, though stage zero comprises music and much more to be revealed soon,” the venture said.

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