An AI-generated gospel singer named Solomon Ray has topped Christian music charts, sparking debates about authenticity, race, and the future of music, with critics raising concerns about cultural appropriation and the role of AI in creative arts.
Digital blackface is a practice where White people co-opt online expressions of Black imagery, slang, catchphrases or culture to convey comic relief or express emotions. This practice involves White people play-acting at being Black, reflecting a tendency among some to see “Black people as walking hyperbole.” Critics say digital blackface is wrong because it’s a modern-day repackaging of minstrel shows, a racist form of entertainment popular in the 19th century. The challenge with defining digital blackface is that some of the alleged victims of the practice might chafe at being labeled casualties of racism.