Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are invading all industries. But it’s when you touch the art that things get dangerous. Not so much for a question of the sacredness of certain characters, but for the age-old problem of copyright and, above all, for the risk of generating fictitious works that can pass for originals. Did you know, for example, that Queen cover The Beatles’ Yesterday? Probably not. Also because they never actually did it. Nevertheless the AI was able to faithfully replicate Freddie Mercury’s voicemaking him sing the most popular of the Lennon-McCartney songs.
It is certainly not an isolated case. In recent weeks a user, thanks to AI, has created a cover of Hurt, a song by Nine Inch Nails covered in life by the legendary Johnny Cashwith the voice of King’s wool.
A British band has even recorded their own instrumental album in the style Oasis adding the AI voice of Liam Gallagher. The group then released the record as a joke, passing it off as “a found album by Oasis, that was never released”. Liam Gallagher’s response was…well it was there Liam. Manchester singer asked for album opinion he wrote: “sound from God”.
Freddie Mercury sings Yesterday, but it’s only thanks to AI
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In any case, the question becomes much more delicate when, as in the case of today’s news, the AI ”borrows” the voices of deceased artists. Not only does the whole thing get creepier, but it’s also uplifting important moral issues: Is it right to steal Freddie Mercury’s voice to make him sing something he would never do in real life?
Either way, you can listen to the result for yourself below.