Is Shunned at a Funeral AI?

The project’s FAQ says Shunned at a Funeral is not an “AI band” as usually understood: “While we do use modern tools as part of the creative process, the heart of the project is human.” It says the “vast majority of our music and lyrics are written by our musical director”, who is not named.

Spotify shows a “Likely AI Persona” badge on the artist profile. The badge text reads: “Spotify has applied this label because this artist reached the minimum audience for review and signals suggest their public identity may be AI-generated.” Spotify says the badge concerns the artist’s public identity, not how the music was made.

Deezer’s album page for “Bethesda” (album, Feb 1, 2026) shows the “AI-generated content” notice: “This album includes tracks detected as generated with the use of AI.” “Moriah”, “Kadesh” and “Shred Poets Society” carry the same notice.

Indie Entertainment Magazine writes that “the band, the personalities, the performances, and much of the imagery were generated with artificial intelligence,” and that Howard “writes the songs and lyrics, then uses AI tools.”

KOBI-TV NBC5 reports that Ethan Howard, an Oregon Institute of Technology assistant professor, is “the singular creator behind the virtual band” who uses his skills to “compose, lyricize, and structure the music” before bringing it to life through what KOBI calls “generative artificial intelligence”.