What AI pop will sound like: As Google and Universal negotiate a ‘deepfake’ music tie-up, how the cloned voices of Harry Styles, Rihanna and Kanye offer a blueprint for the songs of the future

This number decreases for each older generation, with only 19% of people aged over 55 likely use AI to assist with their creative vision, highlighting the reticence of older generations to have an open mind about using the technology. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are now capable of creating original songs and music, while machine learning-powered search, recognition, and recommendation engines are changing the way we listen. While the framework around AI-generated music’s copyright may require refining, the broader notion of protecting artistic integrity remains valid. Extending legal safeguards against the misappropriation of AI-generated voices aligns with established norms for music licensing. Granting artists veto power over their AI voices echoes the process of approving licensed music. The crossroads of AI-generated music and the prospect of artist voice licensing introduces captivating possibilities and intricate challenges to advertising.

Talks between the two companies could be a relief to artists, as they may get something whenever their voices and likeness are used to generate music by AI. Human musicians have been known to bring a sense of improvisation and spontaneity to their music that is not present in AI-generated music. The song skips beats in places, which would be unpredictable to a fresh listener.

Alberto Farinas, managing partner, Animal Music

The UK Government then announced in February 2023 that these proposals were to be scrapped. By comparison, the EU Digital Single Markets Directive provides rightsholders with the ability to opt their works out of the TDM exception, whereas Singapore has recently enacted a very broad TDM exception. A key element of an artist’s appeal is their ability to relate to their audience on an emotional level, and this is naturally the strongest case against artificial intelligence music. In almost all cases, AI-generated vocals struggle to fully mimic the complex vocal inflections of the human artist in question and will have the most success when the vocalist utilizes a smaller range of pitches and/or autotune. Some tools are completely dedicated to specific artists, such as Drayk.it, which generates what it describes as “Drake-like” lyrics and vocals by prompting users to enter random topics.

However, the cynic in me thinks this is another record company ‘suit’ driven ploy to squeeze more money out of their artists, and if that is the case, it needs to be forensically dealt with. In the late ‘80s, she successfully sued a very established advertising agency and one of the biggest car companies for imitating her voice. The judge at the time ruled that our voices are as individual as our fingerprints, and any attempt to impersonate them is an infringement of our civil liberties. Conversely, reliance on AI-generated music might dilute the emotional resonance and authenticity intrinsic to human-crafted compositions. The visceral connection music forms with audiences could erode if AI homogenises its diversity, potentially muting the impact of advertising campaigns.

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Suppose an individual preferred an AI-generated version of a song more than the original. This could result in ethical and intellectual property issues, as AI-generated music and audio deepfakes could be used by people to create a similar imitation music without compensating the artist. If listeners preferred the AI-generated music that sounds similar to the original artist, it will undermine the artist’s worth. A further example of AI-generated music comes in the form of AI song covers where AI-generated versions of artist’s voices are used to cover a song. Examples of these AI cover songs which are flooding social media include an AI-generated Rihanna cover of Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” and even an AI-generated Michael Jackson cover of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”.

No product launch is believed to be imminent, and none of the companies mentioned would comment on the report when contacted by Sky News. On a similar topic, you can find interesting the article “EU Council adopts proposed AI Act on artificial intelligence“. MB1 will be done in nine separate releases and the first of these is MB1.1, which gives users an exclusive 1-of-1 physical print of their Meebit, along with a certificate of authenticity. Users have 2 weeks from November 2, 2022, to claim their print, which will begin shipping 3-6 weeks after the 2-week window closes.

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Yakov Livshits

Another form of generative artificial intelligence (AI) that has been frequenting the headlines is AI-generated music. A well-known example being the viral Drake and The Weeknd song titled “Heart on My Sleeve” which has now been pulled off Apple Music and Spotify. This AI-generated song produced remarkably realistic renditions of Drake and The Weeknd’s voices. Universal Music Group (UMG), whose roster includes both Drake and The Weeknd, subsequently issued a copyright challenge to the DSPs hosting “Heart On My Sleeve”. The collaboration between Google and Universal in offering artist voice licensing for AI-generated music presents a promising stride forward. This move could redirect deserved royalties to artists and allow them to opt in or out of having their AI voices and creations featured on platforms like YouTube.

• The same would apply for any creator, whether its David Arnold, Debbie Wiseman, John Powell or Andrew Lloyd Webber.
• Believe has a stated aim of not distributing any AI-created content, whether through Believe or TuneCore, its distribution and services platform.
• German photographer Boris Eldagsen refused his prize for winning at the Sony world photography awards, admitting he generated the image using AI.
• This received significant objection from the music industry, which described it as «music laundering».

DISQO is recognized in Deloitte’s Fast 500, Ad Age’s Best Places to Work, and is a Top 100 Next Gen Workplace. As usage continues to surge and knowledge about generative AI increases, consumers’ attitudes are trending toward greater receptivity. Thirty-eight (38%) percent stated that they feel neutral about AI-generated music overall, underscoring an opportunity to increase consumer buy-in by showcasing where AI can add value without hurting musicians and producers. Whatever may be done to try to ‘formalise’ AI music, it is almost certainly going to accelerate the fragmentation paradigm shift, by putting music creation in the hands of consumers. The reason why AI feels so frightening to much of the music business is not just because of what it is, but also because it is a catalyst for pre-existing market shifts. The last half decade was characterised by the rise of non-traditional music, in the shape of ‘fake artists’, mood music, and independent artists.

Denis Ladegaillerie, Believe’s CEO and co-founder, set out the firm’s response to the arrival of AI-generated music during its Q1 earnings call. Believe is currently testing AI detection technology that can filter out AI-generated works from its platform. Believe has a stated aim of not distributing any AI-created content, whether through Believe or TuneCore, its distribution and services platform. Musicians will continue to be at the forefront of the mix of technology and humanity, pushing boundaries and developing new means of expression through creative innovation.

In this book, you’ll explore the evolution of generative models, from restricted Boltzmann machines and deep belief networks to VAEs and GANs. You’ll learn how to implement models yourself in TensorFlow and get to grips with the latest research on deep neural networks. It’s led to calls for appropriate guardrails in the industry, though some artists are embracing it, with Canadian star Grimes already letting fans access her GrimesAI «voiceprint» to make songs that sound like her own. It genrative ai could reportedly see a tool developed allowing fans and creators to make tracks using recognisable vocals and melodies legitimately by paying the copyright owners, with artists able to opt out. Both Google and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, have developed software that creates vocals and music in the style of certain artists and genres. So-called generative AI models have already caused uproar among illustrators for using human-produced work without compensation to create art.

Lawyer

Despite the potential implications in the US of the ‘Blurred Lines’ case Williams v. Gaye, 885 F.3d 1150 (9th Cir. 2018), infringement of the feel of a song is unlikely to be sufficient. A new composition that is composed with an AI tool or sung using an AI-generated voice may not incorporate any «substantially similar» element or «substantial part» of any previous work that is actually protected by copyright. In addition to caring  whether a song sounds good, they also care about its creativity, human touch, and overarching impact on the artist community.

Proposals have been put forward in the European Parliament and recently the Chinese regulator also set out new draft measures. Many of these were welcome – the need to respect IP, an obligation to exclude content that infringes copyright, a requirement to keep records of inputted data sets and clear labelling rules. You might see a Martin Lewis lookalike and soundalike endorsing questionable business investment for life savings, or a bogus Chris Whitty suggesting drinking bleach protects against Covid. We’ve dubbed this “music laundering” – a process where you could steal someone’s work, feed it into an AI, and then generate clean, “new” music, just as a money laundering operation might do with stolen money. Firstly, they undermine the mechanism by which people who create and invest in music can earn a living from it, by means of choice in how and where their music is used..

In the UK, the proliferation of such tools comes at a time of increased scrutiny of the role of copyright and the remuneration of music creators and rightsholders, following the DCMS’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming. AI music has been circulating online with users creating songs that contain cloned voices of artists such as Rihanna, Ariana Grande, and Kendrick Lamar. A small subset of consumers feel AI is a helpful tool for creating new songs faster than ever before, but very few are convinced that this novel format will drive greater creativity, genrative ai compelling collaborations, or employment boosts. See how excitement about AI-generated music compares to other applications in our larger report. Interestingly, among those that stated they have high knowledge of generative AI, consumer support for AI-generated music rises by a whopping +24 points, split evenly across “somewhat” and “strong” support. Those well-versed in AI technology are being won over by its innovativeness, and are able to overlook other features (e.g., copyrights, disclosure, artist intent) that might otherwise hold support down.