[TheOtherHobbes]

Yes, a lot of people don't get this. Pop is as much about fashion and branding as sound, and an AI would need a virtual personality to get anywhere with that.

Which will likely happen within 10 years or so. Hatsune Miku is already a thing, and a few upgrades from now she'll probably appear to be running her own post-TikTok account.

J- and K-pop boy/girl bands are already run like this. The individual artists are more or less interchangeable and can be dropped at any time if they lose their looks or appeal. They don't get much/any creative freedom, and the performances are all externally choreographed.

It wouldn't take much to create a virtual version. Give it some virtual sass and you have a tame monster.