The use of artificial intelligence in the music industry raised some eyebrows in recent months, but it seems YouTube is getting ready to hop on the AI train. They’re working with major studios to develop an AI tool that can mimic the voices of our favorite musicians.
According to Billboard’s new report, YouTube wants to launch a new artificial intelligence tool that will allow creators to make videos using the voices of popular recording artists. They were planning to debut it during the Made on YouTube event in September, but the plan never came to fruition because they’re still to ink deals with record labels.
Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group are negotiating licensing deals with YouTube, but nothing has been decided just yet. They’d have to sign legal agreements with YouTube which would cover voice rights for the beta version of this AI tool, while a separate agreement would be required for its wide launch.
None of this would be possible without the artists giving permission for their voices to be used, and some of them are pretty resistant to the idea. Several high-profile artists openly spoke against AI in recent months, including Drake, Sting, and Ice Cube.
