“Fake songs” with superstar voices have already caused a stir. Artificial intelligence is changing the music world. The US label Universal Music now wants to set up rules together with YouTube.
The world’s largest music company Universal Music and Google’s video platform YouTube want to work together on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). They want to explore them responsibly while protecting the interests of the artists, YouTube said in a publication about principles for handling the technology.
As part of the partnership, musicians will be able to access and experiment with AI technologies. The two big players YouTube and Universal Music are so influential together that their cooperation could set the rules for the music industry.
Software imitates the voice
The music industry is currently trying to find an orderly way of dealing with AI tools. Because these could turn the business upside down: It is not only possible to write songs with the help of software – AI can also imitate the voices of music stars.
Universal Music had a song removed from YouTube in the spring, in which artificially generated voices by artists Drake and The Weeknd could be heard. In April, the song entitled “Heart on my sleeve” spread rapidly, first via TikTok, YouTube and then via streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. Several million people wanted to hear the alleged duet of the two superstars. However, that never happened – despite the almost real-sounding voices.
Computer programs had previously produced the voices of famous rappers such as Eminem or Snoop Dogg and added music to them. In addition, texts are created in the style of great artists who have already died via ChatGPT & Co. The industry is concerned, the legal situation is often unclear. It differs from country to country. Voices are not protected by copyright and some of the melodies are completely new.
“Genius is never an accident”
In addition to the fears that, in the worst case, the stars will develop into pure voice suppliers and their works will be used for training purposes, some industry representatives also see advantages of AI for the industry. Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge also emphasized that so-called generative AI – i.e. the mechanical creation of texts, images or videos – will enrich the music from his point of view.
But you have to find the right balance. “AI will never replace human creativity,” he said confidently in a blog post. Software will always lack the “essential spark” that drives the most talented artists to create their best work. “From Mozart to the Beatles to Taylor Swift, genius is never an accident,” Grainge wrote.