Welcome to the future: AI-generated vocal clones of superstars now available on YouTube Shorts

Welcome to the future: AI-generated vocal clones of superstars now available on YouTube Shorts

We all knew it was coming – now, suddenly, it’s here.

On Thursday (November 16), Google unveiled what it calls its “most advanced music generation model to date”.

Dubbed Lyria, and built by Google DeepMind, the tech giant says that the AI model, “excels at generating high-quality music with instrumentals and vocals, performing transformation and continuation tasks, and giving users more nuanced control of the output’s style and performance”.
Google also released details of two new AI ‘experiments’ in partnership with YouTube, the first of which is dubbed Dream Track, an experiment in YouTube Shorts.
The other experiment is centered around a set of Music AI tools that Google says it is designing with artists, songwriters, and producers “to help bolster their creative processes”.
To develop these projects, Google says that it has “brought together technical experts from across Google with a diverse range of world-renowned artists and songwriters to explore how generative music technologies can responsibly shape the future of music creation”.

Within the Dream Track experiment, a limited set of YouTube Shorts creators in the US will be able to use the tool to produce “a unique soundtrack” featuring the AI-generated voice and musical style of artists including Alec Benjamin, Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Sia, T-Pain, Troye Sivan and Papoose.

According to a blog post penned by YouTube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen and Toni Reid, VP of Emerging Experiences and Community Products, these artists “have chosen to collaborate in this experiment and work with us to shape the future of AI in music”.
Interestingly, none of the artists in this first project appear to be actively signed to Sony Music – they’re either signed to (labels of) Warner Music or Universal, or outside of the ‘major’ music companies.

Dream Track works by typing in a topic for a song and then choosing from a participating artist featured in the carousel to generate a 30-second soundtrack for a Short.
Powered by Google’s Lyria AI model, Dream Track will then simultaneously generate the lyrics, backing track, and AI-generated voice in the style of the superstar artist selected by the user.

This news follows the announcement earlier this year of YouTube’s Music AI incubator – a program by which new tools and innovations are being developed at the company in close conjunction with artists and the music business.

YouTube’s Music AI incubator was unveiled in August alongside the news of a partnership with Universal Music Group and the publication of a set of AI principles.

UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge issued the following statement in response to today’s news: “We have a fundamental responsibility to our artists to ensure the digital ecosystem evolves to protect them and their work against unauthorized exploitation, including by generative AI platforms.

“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.”
    “In this dynamic and rapidly evolving market, artists gain most when together we engage with our technology partners to work towards an environment in which responsible AI can take root and grow.”
Grainge added: “In this dynamic and rapidly evolving market, artists gain most when together we engage with our technology partners to work towards an environment in which responsible AI can take root and grow.
“This is not a time for passivity. Only with active, constructive and deep engagement, can we build a mutually successful future together.”

BW