Why We’re Using AI in Our Music

The Dwelling Collective began when a group of worship artists from Brisbane, Australia, started experimenting with the latest in generative AI.

We have all spent years in church worship ministry, songwriting, and recording albums. When we discovered how quickly our songs could become high-quality, streamable tracks using AI tools, we were amazed.

These days, AI writing full songs has become a bit of a meme online, and unfortunately, even a tool for scammers selling “personalised songs”. The whole field of AI in music really is a wild west full of strange, surprising, and sometimes ethically questionable uses.

But when used responsibly and with solid Christian principles, AI can actually empower the local church in incredible ways. Imagine small congregations being able to create worship songs that speak directly to their own communities. Songs that carry a timely message from God for their people.

• Pastors could generate music to help illustrate a sermon.
• Worship teams could demo and arrange new songs within days.
• Churches could create backing tracks for songs they cannot find anywhere, at a fraction of the cost.
   

In the United States, around half of pastors are bi-vocational, meaning their churches cannot afford full-time staff. Shouldn't any affordable, ethical tool that helps spread the Gospel and serve congregations be utilised?

AI in music could also shift the culture of worship.

If you are not comfortable with the commercial side of modern worship or the celebrity culture that sometimes creeps in, imagine being able to generate songs that sound completely unique, with voices that do not imitate any particular artist.

If the big megachurch sound does not fit your local musical expression, or you think all the major labels sound the same these days, you could blend your own. Imagine an afro-gospel-bluegrass-jazz fusion. More diversity in sound and expression means more beauty in the global Body of Christ.

What if worship songs could be translated instantly into any language, keeping their heart and meaning intact? AI tools could help congregations around the world sing the same song of praise in their own tongue, without waiting for a publisher to release a new translation. That is a glimpse of what unity in diversity could sound like. 

We are also aware that this technology comes with serious ethical concerns. That is why, before starting our first album, we developed our own set of Principles for AI Use to make sure what we create honours both people and God.

We invite you to join that conversation with us. Talk with your pastors, your creatives, and your church. The Body of Christ should not shy away from AI. We should lead the way in how it is used.

 Our debut, self-titled album, The Dwelling Collective, follows these principles closely.
Every song began with human creativity. Each one was written, composed, and developed by our team. Once we had the lyrics and melodies, we created demos and used generative AI to produce instrumental arrangements and, in some cases, vocals that matched the style and mood we envisioned.

We never use AI prompts that include artist names or likenesses to avoid copying or emulating real people. Once a track is generated, we review it, refine it, and decide whether to keep the AI vocals or record live ones. The song is then mixed, mastered, and prepared for release.

AI is not used to write lyrics or melodies. Those always come from us. While some small melodic variation can happen in the AI generation process, the core songwriting remains fully human and heartfelt.

We believe this approach honours other artists, serves the Church, and most importantly, glorifies God. These songs are written by Christians as gifts to Him and to His people.