AI in music has developed rapidly in recent years and is now presented to us as a game-changing force poised to reshape the foundations of the music industry.
The range of possibilities opened up by using AIs to create music also brings with it a new set of challenges regarding misappropriation and misinformation that call for innovations and new proposals in the creative, legal and business structure of the music industry.
Will the time come when AIs replace human creativity?
A promising future for AIs
How does Artificial Intelligence work in music? It is a question that haunts us as we witness how melodies and complete compositions are created by the algorithms of AIs specialized in generating music, and it is inevitable that new concerns arise regarding the automation of something as purely human as a creative process in the artistic field.
Even so, although we may feel that this technological leap is coming too fast, in reality Artificial Intelligence still needs a lot of development to be completely independent and perform tasks correctly without inconsistencies, errors or poorly contrasted information.
Therefore, currently the future of AIs lies in their ability to empower musicians in the creation of their projects, being more of a new support tool rather than a substitute.
As Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, says, “AI will amplify the human imagination and enrich musical creativity in new and extraordinary ways, so we will have to strike a balance“.
"AI will amplify the human imagination and enrich musical creativity in new and extraordinary ways, so we will have to strike a balance".
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The need to set limits for music IAs
As this ever closer union between AI and music continues, there is a need to establish some ethical and legal limitations when it comes to creating music with Artificial Intelligence.
Above all, the music industry is currently seeking to extend and encourage the responsible use of AI in music to avoid conflicts, highlighting issues such as authorship, appropriation and the correct use of AI-generated music.
Some of the challenges facing the music sector with AIs:
- Copyright infringement: Some AI-generated compositions are too similar to already created and copyrighted works, which has raised questions about existing copyright infringement laws.
- Royalty distribution: It is a complicated challenge to determine fair compensation when it comes to music generated by AIs, since it is determined that only humans can own copyrights.
- Unauthorized sampling and study: There are controversies and debates about using existing songs so that the AI can learn from them, as there are many artists who do not want to allow AIs to use their music, even if it is to learn and develop a new creation.
- Identity misappropriation: Some AI-generated content attempts to mimic the voice, image and aesthetics of well-known artists and is attributed falsely to them, which can damage their reputation and artistic identity.
Because of all these emerging issues, the music industry is looking for ways to ensure that AI supports and refines processes within the music industry without compromising the essential basis of artistic expression, which is human creativity.
Music AI Incubator
In response to all these changes, YouTube and Universal Music Group have teamed up in a collaboration that has resulted in the Music Ai Incubator.
As technology blurs the boundaries between human-generated and AI-generated content, we recall some of the steps YouTube took with the creation of Content ID, a tool that provided a new legal framework for creators to identify copyrighted music in their videos and fairly compensate their authors.
The creation of Content ID proved that technology can work in favor of human creativity
Now, Music AI Incubator aims to explore new territories in terms of music production using Artificial Intelligence. UMG wants to offer artists, composers and producers from various genres to get involved in this project so that, through experimentation, collaboration and learning, the potential of AIs can be developed to create a fair and responsible future within music.
By placing the latest innovations within AIs in the hands of industry professionals, the aim is to get new perspectives and insights that might not otherwise be discovered. All this, to demonstrate what we have mentioned above: AIs are a useful and promising tool that comes to expand human creativity and genius, rather than replace it.
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Finding the best match between AI and creativity
In this time of uncertainty, collaborations like the one between Universal Music Group and YouTube are a testament to the industry’s commitment to responsible innovation.
The next steps will be not only to find the different methods and processes where to include Artificial Intelligence to improve and enhance the results, but also to ensure legal boundaries that support its ethical use.
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