Daily — August 3, 2026

Fender's CEO drew fire for calling cover playing 'analog AI,' a Munich court found Suno liable for using licensed music without permission, and Snapchat pulled fully AI-generated video from Spotlight recommendations.

• [The Verge] Fender's CEO Draws Fire for Calling Covers and Band Collaboration 'Analog AI' ↗

  In a May interview, Fender CEO Edward 'Bud' Cole described cover music as a kind of 'analog AI' that has been around for a long time, and suggested AI can play a role in songwriting much like a bandmate does. The remarks circulated again over the weekend. Cole framed AI as something that supports a player's creativity and learning. Musicians and other creators pushed back, saying it puts human experience, performance, and collaboration on the same footing as data processing. The piece is about how an instrument company's leadership talks about AI and how creators reacted.

• [Reuters] German Court Rules Suno Infringed Copyright by Using Music Without a License ↗

  A Munich court found that the AI music generation company Suno infringed copyright by using works managed by GEMA without permission. It ordered Suno to disclose the related revenue and pay damages. The amount has not been set. Suno can still appeal. Either way, a court has now held that a company running an AI music model can be directly liable for the music it used in training and generation.

• [TechCrunch] Snapchat Drops Fully AI-Generated Video from Spotlight Recommendations ↗

  Snapchat removed entirely AI-generated video from the algorithmic recommendations in Spotlight, its short-form feed. Clips a person actually shot and then trimmed or retouched with Snapchat's AI tools stay eligible, and a label marks the AI use. Rather than asking whether AI was involved at all, the platform has started separating content with a human original behind it from wholly synthetic content at the distribution layer.