It probably couldn't be any worse than what corporate Nashville's been spewing out but still ... disconcerting (or should that be de-concerting?)

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The Top Country Song on the Charts Was Written and Performed by AI

This was inevitable and now it's here. The top song on the country charts right now is a song written and sung by artificial intelligence. The "artists" name is Breaking Rust and the song is called "Walk My Walk."

It's official: "Chartificial intelligence" is here.

Breaking Rust, a new artist on the scene, is topping charts ... but he's not a real person. He's a computer-generated outlaw blues-country singer.

"Walk My Walk," a song from Breaking Rust's October EP "Resilient," is the No. 1 song on Billboard's Country Digital Song Sales Chart, a list of the most-downloaded tracks in the U.S.

Breaking Rust isn't the only AI artist in the charts at the moment.

Following Rust's song on the chart is Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas," and coming in third is "Don't Tread On Me" by Cain Walker, another AI artist.

…. Still, significant proportions of US music consumers don’t seem to mind. Breaking Rust already has 2 million monthly Spotify listeners. And just look at the YouTube comments on the above video and weep – ‘masterpiece’, ‘My god, his voice is awesome. Beautiful yet heartbreaking’, ‘The greatest song ever!!!’

Here it is — I lasted 15 seconds. There is still good country music being written and performed, as well as new bluegrass, but it’s not being produced by the Nashville suits, and definitely not by AI, if this sample is typical.