Professional musicians embrace AI, Salt Lake City firm reports

Moises, an AI-powered music creation platform based in Salt Lake City, has released findings from a comprehensive survey of 1,525 musicians conducted in partnership with Water & Music. The study challenges prevailing narratives about AI in music, revealing that professional musicians are embracing AI tools at significantly higher rates than amateurs, using them to enhance their craft rather than shortcut the creative process.

Moises survey found that 78 percent of professional musicians report using AI for music-related work in the past 12 months, compared to 60 percent of hobbyists. Pros are also twice as likely to spend $50 or more per month on AI tools, signaling that musicians with the most at stake financially are the most willing to invest in these technologies. Among musicians who earn income from music, 26 percent report that AI has increased their earnings, while fewer than 4 percent report a decrease.

The top outcomes musicians report are not about efficiency or cost savings but related to professional growth. Forty percent say AI helped them learn more songs, 33 percent experimented with new genres and 30 percent improved production quality. Rather than outsourcing creativity, respondents are using AI to expand their capabilities, accelerate practice and refine their craft, according to the survey.

While authenticity and copyright issues remain top concerns, 92 percent of AI users would still recommend AI tools to their peers, and professionals are more likely than hobbyists to plan increased usage in the next year (64 percent to 56 percent). The data points to a pragmatic mindset: Professional musicians are evaluating tradeoffs and adopting what works.

“The biggest misconception about AI in music today is that there’s a hard binary — you’re either for it or against it,” said Cherie Hu, founder of Water & Music. “What our data shows is that musicians are adopting these tools at higher rates across the board and making deliberate choices about how these tools fit into their craft. That’s exactly how healthy adoption should work.”

“The narrative around AI in music often focuses on what it might replace,” said Geraldo Ramos, CEO of Moises. “What this data shows is something different: Musicians are using AI to go further with their ideas, practice more effectively, and explore sounds they might not have reached otherwise. The most serious creators are treating these tools as instruments, not shortcuts.”

The study was conducted between November and December 2025. Approximately 80 percent of respondents were surveyed through Moises’ user base, and the remaining 20 percent through Water & Music’s community.