D’Addario has admitted generative AI was used in the creation of one of its recent product demos.
The update comes after the string maker routinely denied allegations of using AI-generated music in the promo for its NYXL HD electric guitar strings. D’Addario first shared its latest statement as a pinned comment underneath an older Instagram post.
“We got this wrong. We’ve completed a full review and confirmed that Suno Studio was used to regenerate the original track,” the statement says. “We shared inaccurate information, and we’re truly sorry.
“We do not support AI-generated music, and our process will reflect that going forward. We’ll require our employees and creative partners to disclose any use of generative AI, and we’ll more closely review everything we put into the world.”
Last month, D’Addario was accused of using AI music service Suno for a social media promo video. The company denied any wrongdoing despite scrutiny from the online guitar community. Comments mentioning AI were also being deleted from the original post.
D’Addario first issued a statement denying the use of AI altogether, sharing the track’s Logic DAW session, which was supplied by its creator. When glaring irregularities between the session and final track were pointed out, the firm then claimed LANDR and Logic AI mixing and mastering tools had been used without its knowledge.
That concession was also met with skepticism. D’Addario said the inconsistencies that had been identified between the demo track and the Logic Session resulted from the non-generative AI tools.
Commenters once again pushed back, asserting that AI mixing and mastering tools could not have generated the tempo and melody changes that were present in the final track. LANDR’s official account even waded in to confirm this.
D’Addario now claims it was fed false information concerning the origin of the track, and that it shared the song without any knowledge that it had been created using Suno Studio.
“Music is made by people – their ears, hands, taste, and emotions,” the company says. “D’Addario exists to give artists the tools to shape their own sound, not to blur the line between human creativity and AI-generated content.
“We also got comment moderation wrong. Honest criticism should not be erased. We’re changing how we moderate our channels so feedback can be heard while people are protected from threats, harassment, and exposure of their private information.
“We know we can’t fix this with another statement. D’Addario exists because musicians trust our products with their sound, and we’re committed to earning that same trust in how we show up for this community.”
