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Artificial intelligence (AI) is now something common in the K-Pop industry, and its use has steadily increased in recent years. Entertainment companies leverage this advanced technology to create more visually appealing music videos or form virtual idols. They have also started to incorporate AI-generated elements into songs.
Using smart tech to design MV scenes or virtual idols isn’t a big deal. But when it starts getting involved in making the music itself, that’s where the concerns begin. The biggest question of them all is: Will AI eventually replace human creators? Keep on reading to find out what experts have to say.
AI’s Role in Entertainment: Can Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Actors?Daily NewsNov 11, 2024
K-Pop Industry Leverages AI in Music and Video Production
We’ve now reached an era where technology plays a huge role, and the K-Pop industry is embracing it more than ever. As someone who’s followed the scene for years, I can easily see how different it is compared to past generations. Agencies use artificial intelligence for nearly everything. Let’s take a closer look at them.
K-Pop Artists Emerge Using Artificial Intelligence
These days, it’s not just human singers owning the stage—virtual idols are joining them too. One of the first names that probably pops into your head is aespa’s AI counterparts, the æs. They made their debut alongside the group’s real-world members―Karina, Winter, Giselle, and NingNing―in November 2020. I remember watching their debut, and I must say, it was a fresh and fascinating concept that really stood out at the time.
aespa Official Facebook
In 2021, an 11-member virtual girl group, IITERNITI, formerly known as Eternity, was introduced. Pulse9 is the company behind its creation. Its members are Seoa, SuJin, MinJi, ZaeIn, HyeJin, DaIn, ChoRong, JiWoo, YeoReum, SaRang, and YeJin. Interestingly, the group held its first solo concert in Gwangmyeong last October 2023.
The rise of AI in K-Pop has led to more virtual idol groups emerging. One of them is PLAVE, which VLAST created. It consists of five members, YeJun, Noah, Bamby, EunHo, and HaMin, and made its debut in March 2023. PLAVE has since achieved significant milestones. Their latest album, “Caligo Pt.1,” released in February 2025, sold over one million copies in its first week. Its title track, ‘Dash,’ became the first virtual idol song to chart on the Billboard Global 200.
PLAVE Official Facebook
There’s also a virtual K-Pop girl group called MAVE. Metaverse Entertainment created the band using Unreal Engine and MetaHuman for hyper-realistic 3D CGI avatars. It has four members named Siu, Zena, Tyra, and Marty, and debuted in January 2023. Using AI voice generation, the members can speak in four languages, such as Korean, English, French, and Bahasa Indonesia.
Besides the virtual avatars of aespa, nævis also debuted under SM Entertainment. nævis is already familiar to many since she was often featured in the promotional materials of aespa. She officially debuted with the single ‘Done’ in September last year.
“Virtual idols will continue to emerge,” music critic Kim DoHeon told The Korea Times. He noted that many of them still use the K-Pop system and perform the songs that K-Pop songwriters have written. But if companies further use AI in music production, “they are likely to make another breakthrough.”
AI Being Used in Creating K-Pop Music Videos
Korean entertainment companies also now use artificial intelligence to enhance music videos. The music video for SEVENTEEN’s ‘Maestro’ is believed to have scenes created using AI tools. I saw the MV myself, and several parts caught my attention. Some scenes show robots dancing alongside the group and surreal environments that don’t quite look human-made.
If it’s true that they did use AI, it actually makes sense. After all, the song tackles the group’s worries about how AI might affect creativity in music and art.
During a press conference in May 2024 for their comeback with ‘Maestro,’ SEVENTEEN’s WooZi mentioned that he practices making songs with AI. This way, he can develop his music creation along with technology. “Through these experiments, we discovered the strengths and weaknesses of composing music with AI," he shared.
Woozi also said that they’re thinking carefully about how to protect their musical identity in a time when smart technology can now create music. Simply put, the K-Pop star explored AI to understand its strengths and limits, so they can better set their music apart from it. It was never about letting AI make SEVENTEEN’s songs for them.
Another example is the music video for aespa’s ‘Supernova.’ In one scene, there’s a close-up of the members singing, but their mouths move in a way that feels a bit off or unnatural.
“We did not expect such a scene,” said aespa’s NingNing during a press conference for the release of ‘Supernova’ in May last year. “This got us thinking about AI, as these days, cover songs created by AI are popular on social media. But I still think AI cannot perfectly imitate a person’s facial expression or emotions.”
SM Entertainment founder and former chief producer Lee SooMan also commented on the applications of AI in K-Pop. At the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers last year, he said that smart technology will help K-Pop connect with its global fans. “It’s a convergence of culture and technology that I’ve been talking about for a while now, and it will allow deeper engagement between celebrities and 'prosumers,' or fans,” he added.
Companies Using AI in K-Pop Song Creation
HYBE is one of the South Korean entertainment agencies that has adopted AI to make music. One example is the digital single Masquerade by Midnatt. Midnatt is the alter ego of singer Lee Hyun. The song uses a female voice made from Lee’s own voice through AI technology. Thanks to AI, the track was also released in six different languages—Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Spanish. They specifically used the multilingual transformation technology of Supertone, a sound AI startup that HYBE acquired in 2021.
I’ve listened to the track myself, and honestly, if I hadn’t known a machine generated that female voice, I would’ve thought it was an actual singer.
HYBE IM CEO Chung WooYoung said during a press event for the release of ‘Masquerade’ in May 2023, “We tried to utilize AI without distorting our artist’s voice and message.” The CEO added that they’ll keep improving technology while staying true to real music. They also plan to work with other HYBE artists in the future.
Culture critic Kim SungSoo commented on this, saying AI could be a game changer in the K-Pop industry. He told The Korea Herald, “In the past, the problem with AI-adapted songs was that they could not add hints of emotions, but now they can also do this, enabling the nearly perfect production of AI-adapted albums.”
He also pointed out that AI limitations are starting to lessen, so it will likely have a big impact on the music industry, maybe not instantly, but soon.
Will AI Be Fully Used in Producing Music in the K-Pop Industry?
Like what critic Kim SungSoo said, AI keeps on improving, so it’s only a matter of time before it plays a bigger role in music production. So, this brings us back to our main topic: Will AI completely take the place of human songwriters and composers?
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