YouTube developing AI-based tool for cloning musician voices

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, the popular video-sharing platform, YouTube, is currently in the process of developing an AI-based tool that would allow users to mimic the voices of famous musicians when recording audio. This ambitious project has sparked interest within the music industry but has also raised a host of questions concerning music rights.

At present, YouTube is engaged in active negotiations with various music companies, attempting to secure the rights to use songs from their music catalogs for the purpose of training their neural networks. None of the major record labels have given their consent to participate in this project as of yet. Nevertheless, sources suggest that discussions between the parties are still ongoing.

Last month, YouTube unveiled several new AI-based tools for content creators, including background images and videos generated by neural networks. The company also had plans to introduce a new tool for cloning the voices of well-known musicians. However, YouTube encountered difficulties in obtaining permissions from rights holders.

Creating music with AI is currently operating within a legal "gray area" due to the complexities in determining ownership rights for songs that replicate the unique voices of performers without directly using copyrighted lyrics or audio recordings. It remains unclear whether teaching generative AI to clone a musician's voice infringes on copyright laws. Nevertheless, this has not diminished the interest in developing and training "musical" neural networks. This year, companies such as Meta, Google, and Stability AI have also released AI tools for music creation.

YouTube positions itself as a partner that can help the music industry advance through the use of generative AI technology, a move welcomed by many music companies, according to Bloomberg reports. However, despite Alphabet's active efforts to promote its generative AI developments, it remains uncertain whether YouTube can lawfully provide creators with AI-based voice cloning tools without violating copyright laws.

Currently, it is unclear whether discussions regarding this AI voice cloning tool on YouTube will resolve the emerging claims of copyright infringement from record companies, especially in light of the increasing number of tracks created with AI that imitate popular musicians. This issue gained significant attention earlier this year when an AI-generated song in the style of Drake went viral online. While some musicians, like Grimes, support AI-generated music, many others, including Sting, John Legend, and Selena Gomez, advocate for the implementation of rules to protect their voices from duplication.