Creative Dystopia: Google, Universal Studios to work together and make deepfake, AI-gen music

Google and Universal Music are currently engaged in discussions to secure licenses for the use of artists’ vocals and tunes in AI-generated music compositions.

According to a report from the Financial Times, which cites information from four individuals with knowledge of the situation, both companies are exploring this endeavour.

Deepfakes in Music
The music industry is grappling with the emergence of “deepfake” songs produced through generative AI technology, which replicates artists’ voices. More often than not, all this is done without obtaining proper authorization or paying any royalties to the artists.

Instances include the application of Frank Sinatra’s vocals to a rendition of the hip-hop track “Gangsta’s Paradise,” as well as the use of Johnny Cash’s voice in the pop song “Barbie Girl.” Notably, a YouTube user under the name PluggingAI offers compositions mimicking the voices of deceased rappers Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.

The primary objective of these negotiations is to create a tool that enables fans to legitimately produce and remix music tracks, while also compensating the copyright holders appropriately. The report indicates that artists would be given the choice to participate in this process or opt out of it.

Warner Music also wants a piece of the action
Warner Music, the third-largest music label in the world, has also been engaged in discussions with Google regarding a potential product, according to an individual familiar with the situation, Financial Times reported.

Music industry leaders draw parallels between the surge of AI-generated songs and the initial stages of Google-owned YouTube, during which users integrated popular songs as background music for their videos.

Back then, it resulted in a prolonged struggle over copyright infringement between the music industry and YouTube, eventually leading to the establishment of a system that currently disburses approximately $2 billion annually to the music sector for user-generated video content.

What do artists make of this situation?
With the rising prominence of AI, notable celebrities have expressed concerns that their creative output could be diluted by counterfeit renditions of their music and voices.

This concern was cast into the limelight earlier this year when an AI-generated song imitating the voices of Drake and The Weeknd gained viral traction online. Universal Music, which represents artists like Drake and Taylor Swift, removed the song from streaming platforms due to copyright infringement.

In April, Drake criticized another AI-generated song that replicated his voice, labelling it as “the final straw.” Rapper Ice Cube also referred to such replicated tracks as “demonic.”

Conversely, some artists have embraced the technology. Electronic artist Grimes, for instance, has extended an offer to allow her voice to be used in AI-generated songs, with resulting royalties to be shared.

In April, Universal Music urged streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple to take measures to prevent AI services from scraping their songs without authorization or compensation. The company, which commands around a third of the global music market, called on these platforms to restrict access to its music catalogue for developers utilizing it to train AI technology.