“How are people falling for this?”: Internet debates AI singer Xania Monet making the Billboard chart

After several artificial intelligence (AI)–generated artists attempted to break into the industry, R&B artist Xania Monet has officially made her way onto the Billboard charts—sparking debate among fans about the future of music.

Is Xania Monet the first AI artist on Billboard charts?

According to an article by Billboard, Xania Monet is an “AI-driven artist” produced by the human poet Telisha Jones.

Her song “How Was I Supposed to Know?” landed on the Adult R&B Billboard chart, marking the first time an AI-created track has appeared alongside human artists. The song, which explores a strained father-daughter relationship, first gained traction on TikTok before spreading to R&B radio stations nationwide.

This is the first instance of an AI song landing on Billboard’s charts, alongside popular human artists that still dominate the music industry.

While Monet is the first charting AI artist, producers like Timbaland have begun experimenting with creating music for AI singers rather than signing human artists.

How did listeners react to the AI singer?

The official lyric video for “How Was I Supposed to Know?” has over 5 million views, and comments show just how divided listeners are about AI music.

Some critics dismissed it as “AI slop” and questioned how it rose in popularity. “How are people falling for this? I could hear it literally as soon as she started singing,” one wrote. Another added, “Always remember, kids—humans make better music than dirty clankers like this one.” A third commenter said, “This whole song is a run-on sentence. AI doesn’t know when to stop to take a breath because it physically can’t.”

Still, others praised the emotional weight of the track. “Omg why is this an AI artist! This song is so real and heartfelt to so many Black women. I cried listening to this,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Why does this song have me with a knot in my throat and tears in my eyes at work?”

Whether or not listeners knew the artist wasn’t human, the reaction made one thing clear: people are feeling something, for better or worse.