Connect Chats: Nadine Kroher – ‘AI detection alone isn’t enough’

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Author: Stuart Dredge

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Next up in this series is Nadine Kroher, chief scientific officer at Passion Labs, an AI research and development lab that combines academic chops with commercial application of that knowledge.

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“As a researcher working at the intersection of AI and music, I may be biased but the most exciting trend of 2025 has undoubtedly been the mainstreaming of AI in music creation and distribution. We’ve moved beyond experimentation into tangible business and rights-infrastructure shifts,” she tells Music Ally.

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One development she’s particularly excited about is the emergence of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, which may be a new term for many people in the music industry. These are systems that connect GenAI applications with external data and tools. Kroher points to Epidemic Sound launching one this September.

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“For the first time, the search and discovery functionalities of a large-scale music catalogue are directly accessible to LLMs as tools through an open protocols, allowing developers to build powerful applications on top of it,” she explains.

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AI brings its pitfalls, of course, and that’s something Passion Labs is thinking about and building for as we head into 2026.

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“The biggest challenge me and my team are focused on is ensuring that rights, attribution, and economics keep pace with the AI-driven wave of music innovation,” says Kroher.

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“As AI-generated music is gaining popularity, there is a risk that streaming platforms and distributors may become flooded with synthetic tracks. A further issue could even be an increase in un-credited uses of catalogue content which in turn dilutes value for human creators.”

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“Detection systems are improving but detection alone isn’t enough. What’s needed is transparent attribution,” she adds.

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“If an AI model is trained on a catalogue, the original creators must be acknowledged and compensated. Moving from ‘AI is creating music’ to ‘AI is creating music within a fair, transparent ecosystem’ is the key challenge and opportunity for 2026.”

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We’ve been asking all our Connect Chats interviewees what their advice is for emerging artists in 2026, given all the disruptions around AI and other technologies in the music world. Here’s Kroher’s.

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“If you’re a creator, embrace AI as a creative ally but stay anchored in your unique voice and rights awareness. Protect your work and understand how your music is used, licensed, and monetised,” she says.

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“As AI becomes part of every creative workflow, knowing the business and rights side of your craft will be as important as the art itself.”

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Nadine Kroher will be speaking on the Music Ally Connect ‘AI Music – Just How Good Can It Get?’ panel on 22 January. Browse the full agenda and get your tickets here. Meanwhile, you can browse our other Connect Chats interviews here.

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