Swedes' Views on AI Music

This study is cited in an opinion piece published on July 8, 2026, in Aftonbladet by Martin Rolinski and Torbjörn Sjöström; it can be read here: Is AI Forcing Spotify to Take Sides?

Brief summary

Previous surveys by Novus have shown that AI is generally viewed negatively; it is rarely beneficial for a company to disclose that it has used AI—quite the opposite, in fact. But as the use of AI spreads and becomes part of everyday life, an interesting question arises regarding the production of culture and entertainment: Is the work appreciated just as much regardless of whether it was created by a human or not? Is art considered just as good if there isn’t a human artist behind it?

Based on this, we wanted to explore attitudes toward AI-generated music. Does knowing that the music was created by AI have a positive or negative effect on the listener?

Novus can now report that 66% of Swedes have a less favorable opinion of music if they find out it was generated by AI. Only 1% have a more favorable opinion, while 24% say it doesn’t matter.

This offers further insight into what we actually value in art. AI can be an effective productivity tool, but artistic expression seems to require a strong personal connection. Perhaps this isn’t so surprising; great artists have fans and give concerts where the audience connects emotionally with the artist’s work, adding a human dimension. The artistic work serves as a bridge between the artist’s and the audience’s emotions.

So what remains of the art if the work is created by a computer program—if no human has produced, composed, or sung it? There are already many gray areas, such as sampling and Auto-Tune, but music generated entirely by AI likely removes humans from the process entirely. In that case, there is no Avicii or Taylor Swift left behind the work.

In any case, it is clear today that the Swedish public wants music created by people, not computer programs. This likely applies to other forms of artistic expression as well. An interesting follow-up question, however, is how we perceive literature, where the focus may lie more on the story than on the author. This is something we will continue to explore in future studies.

The biggest challenge going forward will likely be determining what is entirely AI-generated and what has been created using AI as a tool. Just as computers are now an integral part of nearly all production, the lines will become blurred—with the exception of those few works, such as physical oil paintings, that exist in only a single copy.

Torbjörn Sjöström, Founder of Globeknot

About the Survey The survey was conducted by Novus on its own initiative from January 15–21, 2026, among members of the Novus Sweden Panel. A total of 1,007 people responded, and the results are representative of the views of the Swedish population aged 18–84.
For more information about the Novus Sweden Panel, see https://novus.se/om-novus/vanliga-fragor/.