A tool that can clone famous singers is teased by YouTube
Dream Track: Detecting AI-Generated Audio from Lyria in YouTube Incrementals Using SynthID Watermarks
The seven artists who allowed Dream Track to replicate their style were interested in embracing generative artificial intelligence according to Cohen. He says that many of their partners lived the Napster era where they didn’t want to play defense and were excited about the possibilities. In August of this year, YouTube announced it was establishing an incubator to explore ways of using generative artificial intelligence.
These new AI tools are powered by a music generation model called Lyria from Google’s DeepMind. In an accompanying blog post from DeepMind, the Google subsidiary says tracks created using Lyria will carry a SynthID watermark that’s inaudible to the naked ear and can be preserved when a track is modified. So even if someone adds more noise to a track, compresses it into an MP3 file, or speeds it up, it should theoretically still be possible to tell that it contains AI-generated audio from Lyria.
The reveal of the new tools comes just days after YouTube announced new content guidelines for AI-generated deepfakes meant to protect people and, ultimately, the platform’s music industry partners.
A demo of Dream Track has the user type in a prompt, and the system will spit out a short clip of a new song sung by a resemblance of Charlie Puth.
The Dream Track Experiment at Google: Launching Deep Inelastic Sound Effects Using Algorithms That Appease Artists
According to an email to NPR, the tools are currently in a pilot phase. They have not been released to the public yet, but instead are being tested by roughly 100 U.S.-based participating content creators already within Google’s orbit.
“Being a part of YouTube’s Dream Track experiment is an opportunity to help shape possibilities for the future,” said John Legend. A seat at the table is something that an artist can look forward to and I am excited to see what creators will do during this time.
“I’m grateful that this new development involves the artists, presumably meaning they are being compensated for what they are contributing to this,” said singer-songwriter and voice actor Dan Navarro. I wonder where the inspiration is for the commoditization of music, like so much toothpaste from a tube. I suspect, not present at all.”
At that point, Drake and The Weeknd’s label owner Universal Music Group (UMG) invoked copyright violation to get the platforms to take “Heart on My Sleeve” down.
Sir Lucian Grainge said in a statement to NPR that UMG has a responsibility to protect its artists and their work against unauthorized exploitation. “At the same time, we must help artists achieve their greatest creative and commercial potential – in part by providing them access to the kind of opportunities and cutting-edge creative tools made possible by AI.”
“This will become more widespread, obviously,” said entertainment lawyer Schuyler Moore, who is a partner at the Los Angeles-based law firm Greenberg Glusker.
Moore believes that the right of publicity laws and federal legislation will affect licensing deals between tech and entertainment companies, especially given the fact that rights of publicity laws vary from state to state.
“It’s a win-WIN situation for whoever gets paid for their voice clone because they will be able to sit at home instead of going to a recording session.” He said that people will have fun making whatever they want using those clones.
