Figure skaters use AI-generated music at 2026 Winter Olympics
A Czech pair performed a song created by AI in their figure skating program.
The figure skating performance at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on February 9 has sparked debate about the place of artificial intelligence (AI) in creativity. A pair of Czech athletes chose an AI-generated 1990s-style piece for their competition that came out very similar to a real song from the period. While the rules allow for such a choice, the case raised questions about how far technology has already crossed the boundaries of creativity.
Criticism of choices
The Olympic figure skating competition had to perform a 1990s-themed song. Most teams chose actual hits from that era, but the Czech duo of Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek decided to create a new song using AI, stylistically reminiscent of the music of the time. It soon became clear that the song was almost a repeat of the famous 1998 song “You Get What You Give”, only with changed lyrics.
It was not the choice to create the work with AI that attracted criticism, but the extreme similarity to the aforementioned song, which also raised discussions related to plagiarism.
Opinions are ambiguous
While sports professionals are quick to argue that artistic expression in figure skating creates added value and AI solutions are meaningless here, the rules of the Olympic Games do not prohibit this.
Organizers consider the AI-generated track to be an original work because it’s technically not a direct copy. On the other hand, skeptics point out the flip side – algorithms are already learning from existing songs, making it increasingly difficult to draw the line between inspiration and plagiarism at this stage of technology.
A broader meaning for creativity
This case is important not only in the context of sports. Until now, AI-generated music has been mostly associated with experiments on the Internet or social networks, but the Olympics became one of the first places where such content was used in an official, judged performance. As a result, the discussion immediately moved beyond sports to the music industry and the field of copyright.
Such cases are just another reminder that technology is evolving faster than the rules that should define its use. Therefore, any unconventional AI solution is still subject to heated debate.
On the other hand, the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics are using AI solutions on a much larger scale.
The program performed by the Czech pair on Monday was rated 72.09 points, and by taking 17th place, the skaters did not compete further for medals.
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