December 1, 2025
The producer has also launched his ver own AI artist, TaTa Taktumi.
Timbaland remains firmly committed to the rise of AI in music, even as he continues to face backlash from the public.
On Friday, Nov. 26, the Grammy-winning producer took to Instagram to voice his support for Warner Music Group’s (WMG) recent “disruptive” deal with Suno, part of a lawsuit settlement. Timbaland shared a news report about Suno’s new licensing agreement with WMG, which will train AI models and allow artists to choose whether their work is used in licensed AI-generated music.
While many music fans and creators have criticized the rise of AI acts like Billboard-charting Xania Monet, Timbaland continues to champion the emerging technology.
“Timbaland supporting this is like watching one of your favorite superhero dancing with the bad guys,” one Instagram user wrote.
“Isn’t the point of music making is to enjoy the process? It’s like letting a bot play video games for you lol,” adding someone else.
One fan expressed their disappointment in watching Timbaland “destroy your legacy for a couple of $$.”
Timbaland partnered with Suno in October 2024, joining as a strategic advisor. Earlier this year, the “Cry Me a River” hitmaker also launched his own AI artist, TaTa Taktumi, despite facing criticism.
“By combining forces, we have a unique opportunity to make AI work for the artist community and not the other way around,” Timbaland said at the time the partnership with Suno was announced. “We’re seizing that opportunity, and we’re going to open up the floodgates for generations of artists to flourish on this new frontier.”
Suno’s partnership with WMG is part of a settlement resolving WMG’s copyright infringement lawsuit against the AI platform. Under the deal, Suno will use WMG’s licensed music to train new AI models, set to replace the current version in 2026.
Artists and songwriters can opt in to allow their name, image, likeness, voice, and compositions to be used in AI-generated music. The settlement also includes platform updates, such as paid downloads for select tracks and a commitment to fully licensed AI models in 2026.
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