The development of this tool raises potential copyright issues, as it's unclear if using a record label's music catalog for training AI voice cloning tools constitutes copyright infringement. The issue of AI-generated music that emulates popular musicians' voices has been contentious, with artists like Sting, John Legend, and Selena Gomez calling for regulations to protect their voices from being replicated without consent. Despite these concerns, companies like Meta, Google, and Stability AI have released tools for creating AI-generated music this year.
Key takeaways:
- YouTube is developing an AI-powered tool to replicate the voices of famous musicians, and has approached music companies to obtain rights to train the AI on their songs.
- No deals have been signed yet, and it's unclear if this will help address potential copyright issues raised by record labels.
- AI-generated music currently sits in a legal gray area, with difficulties in establishing ownership rights over songs that replicate an artist’s unique voice but don’t directly feature protected lyrics or audio recordings.
- YouTube is positioning itself as a partner to help the industry navigate the use of generative AI technology, a move that is reportedly being welcomed by music companies.