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Connections

AI song tops the charts; what does that mean for the future of music?

Three smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at left is wearing a black Stetson cowboy hat, and a brown jacket with different patches; a woman at center has her dark hair tied into a bun and is wearing a black sweater with a floral pattern; and a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt under a light blue vest
Mary Hussong-Kallen
/
WXXI News
Jimmie Highsmith Jr. and Sarah De Vallière with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, November 21, 2025
WXXI News

A song that recently topped a country music chart is sparking debate.

"Walk My Walk" by Breaking Rust was the number one song on Billboard's Country Digital Song Sales chart last week. If you haven't heard of Breaking Rust, you're not alone. It's an AI act, and "Walk My Walk" is an AI-generated song. Billboard has acknowledged that Breaking Rust is one of seven AI-driven acts to chart over the past two months.

What does this mean for human artists and human-created songs? Should AI music be considered in the rankings? For many listeners, it's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between human and AI-generated content.

This hour, we discuss what it all means for the future of the industry and our listening experience.

Our guests:

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.