Anonymous users on Soulseek are trolling the platform by uploading thousands of Homer Simpson AI covers.
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The peer-to-peer file-sharing network is a favourite of DJs and music fans wanting to discover lesser-known tracks.
However, it’s now been taken over by Simpson “covers”. An investigation from Vice found that there are currently around 2,000 of the AI-generated versions on the platform.
All of these versions list the original track title and artist credit, while keeping all other data unchanged, so users are unaware they’ve downloaded the Simpson cover until they press play.
Vice also points out that there is now a 24-hour radio station, ‘D’OH FM’, which exclusively features Homer Simpson covers.
The station, which claims to be powered by Duff Beer and broadcasting live from Springfield, also lets you request songs for Homer to perform.
AI Homer Simpson covers are nothing new, with a version of Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ already famous on some corners of the internet.
In 2024, a cover of Hozier‘s ‘Take Me To Church’ went viral, leading the musician to share his opinions on AI-generated music. “I think that stuff is the more sort of silly, harmless stuff,” he said.
“It is kinda weird, yeah. I think it’s just fun,” he continued. “I think it’s just people playing with the technology for stuff like that. The more complex, long-term stuff of AI when music catalogues are being trained for generative stuff is where we’re in the bigger questions…”
Before that, The Libertines reacted to a Homer Simpson AI cover of their song ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’. There are also Homer Simpson AI covers of the Arctic Monkeys, Limp Bizkit, Muse and more.
In other AI-related news, Google has given its virtual assistant Gemini the ability to create AI-generated music.
The post User trolls Soulseek by overloading with thousands of Homer Simpson ‘covers’ appeared first on NME.
