AI as ABBA’s Fifth Band Member?
What happens when machines start co-writing your hits?
In 2024, Björn Ulvaeus, ABBA legend, musical visionary, and co-founder of the Mamma Mia! Phenomenon, hands over part of his songwriting process to artificial intelligence for the first time. Not a robotic voice singing “Dancing Queen,” but an AI system that helps him search for melodies, lyrical fragments, and even dramaturgical twists for his new musical.
“It’s like having an extra songwriter in the room,” Ulvaeus says in an interview. Not one with an ego or deadline issues, but a machine that endlessly supplies new ideas based on hundreds of ABBA songs, musical classics, and textual references that Ulvaeus himself feeds into it. Not to replace himself, but to leap forward when he feels stuck.
What makes this collaboration fascinating isn’t the technology itself. It’s the mental shift: one of the most successful songwriters of the 20th century consciously chooses to open up his creative bubble. He admits: even after a career filled with gold records, you can still hit a wall. And maybe, just maybe, a machine can give you that extra push.
Ulvaeus isn’t alone. More and more leaders, creatives, and strategists are discovering how AI not only speeds up processes but also opens new perspectives.
A band that doesn’t exist
In 2025, millions of Spotify users discover a mysterious band called Velvet Sundown. The songs sound polished, contemporary, and surprisingly human. The voices are warm and expressive, the lyrics intelligent and layered. But a closer look reveals something remarkable: Velvet Sundown doesn’t exist. Not in the traditional sense.
The music, the artists, the visuals, even the interviews, are all generated by artificial intelligence. The project is a collaboration between an AI lab and a creative agency that invented the entire band: from name and backstory to vocal timbre and musical style. Fans respond enthusiastically. Some feel disappointed when they learn it’s AI-driven; others see it as proof of technological creativity.
The lingering question: if a song moves us, does it matter whether it was written by a human?
What do these stories reveal about leadership, creativity, and strategy?
Whether it’s a living legend using AI as a creative support, or a fully fictional band storming the charts, both cases expose something about our relationship with creativity and technology. And they pose a few uncomfortable questions for us as professionals:
- What if the “original idea” no longer comes from you?
- What if inspiration is no longer exclusively human?
- What if your team soon works with a “digital colleague” who never gets tired, never asks for credit, and still contributes?
For leaders in business, policy, or communications, this doesn’t mean surrendering to machines. On the contrary, it demands sharper choices:
- How do you use AI without losing your identity?
- How do you remain the director of your brand, your story, or your strategy, even when parts of it are machine-generated?
Five strategic lessons from the world of music and AI
1. Let AI co-write, not rewrite
Ulvaeus didn’t use AI to rearrange existing songs, but to help when he got stuck. That’s the power: AI as sidekick, not boss. You can use AI to generate drafts, explore ideas, or find new angles. Not to replace you, but to accelerate creativity.
2. Build a style profile and train your AI with it
The AI Ulvaeus used wasn’t generic. It was trained on his style, his work, and his preferences. That made the output recognizable. Organizations that use AI effectively do the same: they build style guides, brand profiles, and tone-of-voice models so AI learns to think “in-house.” Don’t just think in prompts, think in profiles.
3. Know when your system takes over
With Velvet Sundown, AI isn’t supplementary, it’s dominant. There’s no human in the picture. That might work for experiments or entertainment, but in many contexts it’s risky. Ask yourself: where’s your red line? When does AI remain a tool, and when does it become a performer with its own voice?
4. Authenticity still matters, but it’s being redefined
ABBA is recognizable because their style is rooted in people, emotions, and imperfections. Velvet Sundown plays with that expectation. But for brands and leaders, authenticity remains crucial. The question is: how do you stay authentic in a world where AI joins the table? Tip: be transparent. Show how AI supports you, and be clear about who makes the final decisions.
5. Creative advantage = daring to experiment
Both Ulvaeus and the creators of Velvet Sundown could have ignored the tools. They chose to experiment, not because they had to, but because they could. The same applies to you. Don’t wait for AI to be perfect. Start small. Test. Play. And above all: ask questions about where your creativity begins, and where it might end.
Creativity in duet with AI
You don’t need to be a singer or composer to learn from these stories. What’s happening in the music industry today will happen in your sector tomorrow: AI that proposes ideas, writes scripts, drafts strategies, or even prepares presentations.
The question isn’t whether you’ll encounter it.
The question is whether you’ll still be in control.
AI won’t replace you.
But it might become your new band member.
The real question is: will you let it play along?
Do you want to discover how AI can strengthen your role as a leader?