What is Suno AI?

Have you ever wondered what a fusion between opera and grunge punk would sound like? Yeah, me neither. But Suno AI can create that for you.

Suno AI is a music-generation app that has garnered a lot of popularity since its development in 2023. It’s so popular, in fact, that Amazon recently announced a partnership with Suno AI and promises that its features and capabilities will be accessible on the Alexa+, which is coming soon.  

So let’s chat about Suno AI — its capabilities, its limitations, and its controversies. (Including, most importantly, should kids use it?)

How Does Suno AI Work?

Suno AI is a music-generation platform that uses artificial intelligence to create songs. Users can create full songs, including both vocal and instrumental elements, from simple text prompts.

What Model Does Suno AI Use?

Suno AI, unlike many other AI generators, hasn’t given much information in the way of what model they use to train their AI to spit out responses.  However, Bark is one model they’ve admitted to using, which is a text-to-audio generator. Otherwise, it’s unclear which other models the platform uses to create music. 

If this sounds confusing, don’t worry — here’s a quick overview of AI models: AI models are complex algorithms trained on large datasets to recognize patterns and generate responses based on that training.

AI models rely on the knowledge they’ve learned during training, which also guides them in spitting out coherent responses.

Suno AI likely uses a combination of trained models and proprietary algorithms to generate music, but the exact details are unknown.

Features of Suno AI

As they delve into creating music, users can either plug in their own lyrics and ask for musical accompaniment, or they can ask the AI to create a whole new song, lyrics and all. 

The latest version of Suno AI (v4), like previous versions, lets users produce high-quality AI music in seconds. v4 in particular offers several improvements, including “cleaner audio, sharper lyrics, and more dynamic song structures.” 

v4 also introduced Covers, a tool that lets users hear their own original song as if it were a cover, as well as Personas, a tool where the app remembers your style and applies it to future music to help users cement their style. 

Sumo also recently introduced proprietary watermarking technology to detect whether a song was created using Suno, to help prevent misuse and ensure the originality of the content.

Does Suno AI Have an App?

Yes, Suno AI is available on the Apple and Android Stores. Suno can also be used through its website, Suno.com (previously suno.ai), or as a plugin in Microsoft Copilot. Users have to log in before they can start creating. 

How to Download Suno AI Songs

Any song created by the user can be downloaded, either as an audio or video version. The video version features the Suno-generated art cover, and the lyrics are displayed as the song plays.

To download a song for offline use, click on the desired song to open it up. Click on the three horizontal dots, select Download, and choose between Audio or Video. Downloads will appear on the computer’s downloaded files.

Is Suno AI Free?

Suno has a free basic plan that gives users 50 daily credits (10 songs) that renew each day. To upgrade the plan, users would have to make an in-app purchase.

Is Suno AI copyright free? 

It depends. The songs created using the basic plan cannot be used for commercial purposes. 

How Much Does Suno AI Cost?

If users want to make additional songs as well as have legal ownership over their music, they can purchase Pro or Premium plans. Rates range from $8 (2,500 credits) to $24 (10,000 credits) per month. On the Pro and Premium plans, songs created with Suno AI can be sold commercially. 

Who Owns Suno AI?

Suno AI was co-founded by Martin Camacho, Georg Kucsko, Keenan Freyberg, and Michael Shulman. The founders all consider themselves musicians and experts in AI due to previous work for companies like Meta, TikTok, and Kensho.

Is Suno AI Safe to Use?

Suno does present several safety concerns that parents should be aware of. One primary concern is the potential for exposure to inappropriate or harmful lyrics. Although Suno has mechanisms in place to prevent music creation with explicit or offensive material, the vast creative freedom it offers could still result in content that is not suitable for younger audiences. 

Some users have encountered songs with anti-semitic and racist messages. Others have come upon lyrics that spread misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Privacy Concerns

All Suno accounts are public. Upon creation of the account, Suno automatically gives each user a Display Name — this can be changed at any time, and many opt to make it their full name or social media handle. Once songs are created, users can add them to their profile and allow the public to listen to them, or there’s the option of only sharing them with others via a link. 

Users should also be aware that any content that users create using the free version of Suno AI is automatically the property of Suno AI, meaning that the users have no copyright claim over those songs.  

While it’s fun to share our creations, the fact that Suno has no parental controls or the ability to make a profile private poses significant risk, especially as young users might inadvertently share personal information or create content that reveals personal details. 

Suno AI also stores all of the songs that are generated on the app. Data can be deleted by Suno AI, but users have to manually request that their data be deleted.

Suno AI is Used to Generate Harmful Songs

Like every new tool, some will use Suno AI for good, and others will use it for bad. The Guardian reports that Suno AI and other music-generation apps have been used to create songs with harmful lyrics that ostracize or diminish entire groups of people. 

While the AI refuses to generate songs that are explicitly violent or hateful, coded language is often used to slip through Suno’s content guidelines. 

As with all dangers on social media, parents should educate their children on identifying harmful material and responding accordingly. Kids should also know that harmful words are never harmless — even if a computer made them up. 

What is Suno AI Trained On?

Suno AI has been withholding, to say the least, about admitting which music it uses to train its AI. However, only last year, the company was finally forced to admit that they train their AI using music files all over the internet — including copyrighted music. 

What is the Suno AI Controversy? Does Suno AI Steal Music?

Since Suno’s release, the recording industry has been in an uproar. In June 2024, The Recording Industry Association of America, which represents major record labels like Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records, filed a lawsuit against Suno and Udio (another AI music-generating platform). The labels accuse these platforms of committing mass copyright infringement by using their recordings to train the AIs. The labels also claim these platforms generate vocals that sound indistinguishable from musicians such as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and ABBA.

The debate continues as critics of the platform believe that Suno AI reduces the market value of the music it was trained on and essentially steals the work of musicians and songwriters by learning using their music. The question is rapidly evolving to be: Is Suno AI ethical? It seems that only time and further debate will tell. 

It’s important to note, however, that individual users of apps like Suno AI are not currently being held criminally liable for stealing copyrighted music when they use AI to create music — even if that AI was trained on copyrighted music. It’s only when an individual profits from a song that is too derivative of another person’s work that they will get into legal trouble. 

Tips for Parents

What Suno can do is amazing and revolutionary. Those interested in music will appreciate and have fun on the platform. 

However, it’s important to talk to your child about the dangers of sharing personal information on their Suno profile since it’s available to the public. Advise them to make their Display Name something generic, remove any identifiable details from their Profile Description, and avoid using a real picture of themselves as their Profile Avatar.

Parental controls are not currently available on the platform, so parents could consider checking on their child’s account every once in a while. However, monitoring a child’s activity on their cell phone can feel like an invasion of privacy, so be sure to handle the conversation with care. 

If your child generates or comes across a song that is inappropriate, they can report it to Suno by clicking on the three dots below the song’s cover art, selecting “Report,” and choosing “Inappropriate.” The song will then be flagged for review.

How to Delete Suno AI Account and Songs

To delete a Suno AI account, tap the three horizontal lines on the top right of the home page. Then tap Account, then scroll down and hit “Delete Account.” You’ll need to confirm, and then the account will be deactivated. 

To delete songs from your Suno AI account, go to your library, tap the three dots next to the song you’d like to delete, scroll down, and select “Move to Trash.” To permanently delete a song, go to your library and select the trashcan icon in the top right. Then, hit the three dots and select “Delete Permanently,” and then “Yes, I’m Sure.” 

Suno AI Alternative

Suno is not for everyone. If your family is looking for a safer listening experience, check out Gabb Music. Gabb Music has a massive library of clean songs — all the hits with no explicits. Parents don’t need to worry about their kids stumbling upon vulgar or explicit music. 

Gabb Music offers kids a safe way to enjoy music and express themselves without all of the controversy that comes with Suno AI. With two subscription levels, find what works best for your child while ensuring they are kept safe and protected.

Has your family used Suno before? Did you find the music appropriate and enjoyable? Share your experience in the comments.