AI assists Parkinson’s artist to complete latest album
Samuel Smith, a London‑based singer‑songwriter diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020, released his second album, “The Art of Letting Go,” on 12 May 2026. The record includes eight tracks, one of which, an instrumental titled “Horizon,” was partially created using artificial‑intelligence music generators such as Suno and Udio. Smith hummed rough melodies into his phone, uploaded the recordings, and used the AI to generate demo arrangements that helped him convey his ideas to session musicians recording the final version.
The album was produced by Grammy‑winning pianist Matt Rollings and features contributions from noted bluegrass and roots artists including Jerry Douglas, Alison Brown, Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton, Viktor Krauss, Jonatha Brooke, Glen Phillips, and Julian Lage. Smith managed to play a brief guitar duet with Lage during the final recording session, a moment he described as a “window” of limited mobility.
Industry disputes over AI‑generated music have led to lawsuits by Sony, Universal, and Warner against Suno and Udio, though settlements with Udio and Suno have since been reached. Smith’s use of AI is positioned as a tool that supports creation rather than replaces human input, according to his statements.