Some people are sceptical about artificial intelligence’s veracity as it plays a larger part in the music industry, while others are in favour of it.

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made remarkable strides in many fields and music is no exception. AI-generated music has become increasingly viral on social media. We talk to artists from the industry whether they see this latest technology as a threat or a boon. For the unversed AI-generated music is created using algorithms and machine-learning techniques that allow computers to learn and replicate the style as well as structure of music. The technology behind this music is constantly evolving and improving, with new AI-generated tracks being produced every day. How it started The hype for AI-generated songs started with David Guetta. In February, the French DJ shared a video of him playing a song that used AI technology to add Eminem’s voice to one of his songs! “Let me introduce you to Emin-ai-em,” he said. In one of the most recent examples, Heart On My Sleeve was released and taken down by streaming services very quickly. The track that claimed to use an AI version of Drake and the Weekend’s voices created a lot of buzz in the music industry. The two most popular examples of AI music in India were Eminem singing Emiway Bantai, Company, which was uploaded by MemePage and MemeMandir. The page had also uploaded Drake and Kanye singing Naatu Naatu earlier, and Travis Scott singing Pune rapper MC Stan. Karan Aujla’s latest song, 52 Bars’ AI version went viral as it was created with the voice of late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh, who started with cassettes before moving on to CD players, pen drives, and streaming platforms, feels AI is doing well for now, but he can’t predict its future. “I don’t think AI is something that will steal our jobs. As long as AI is not performing on stage, I am good,” he said. But the speculations are such that experts in AI are also working to enable digital doubles for actors who are no longer living. While the purpose seems great to help complete films and sequels of actors who have passed away, it will also afford a luxury to artistes to possess a digital double, which can act and work in their place. So, while there’s a part of the music industry that questions the authenticity of AI-generated music, there are artists like Grimes who are all for it. She said, “I’ll split 50 per cent of the royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would have with any artiste that I collaborate with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no labels and no legal bindings,” she said. Jubilee actress Shweta Basu Prasad was also part of a panel discussion at the annual film festival in Goa, where AR Rahman and Shekhar Kapur talked about virtual reality and AI. “I know a lot of people who use Chat GPT for creating codes, websites, and stories. I have friends who are animators, graphic designers, and AI artists, who explained to me how shooting a film would become easy. So as an actor, do I feel insecure? I don’t think AI can actually replace the uniqueness of a person. There are people who are doing digital art, and that’s great, but there will be value for people who still use brushes, paint, and oil.”