The use of artificial intelligence in music has been a hot topic in the industry over the past few years, with many questioning the ethics of using AI in music production and recording.
AI assisting and streamlining the process of creating and editing music can be considered positive to the industry but it could potentially take work away from musicians and producers.
Though there are aspects of what we know about AI that could be problematic, AI has the potential to be a huge asset in enhancing and preserving music and should be seen as such.
It was announced last week that The Beatles would release the last song that all four members worked on with the assistance of AI.
The song, Now and Then, started as a demo recorded by John Lennon in 1977 on a tape recorder and was left for Paul McCartney following Lennon’s death in 1980.
The use of AI on the track separated John Lennon’s vocals from the instrumental and cleaned up his faded vocals to match newly recorded backing tracks.
The song was released on Nov. 2 and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart for the week of Nov. 11.
The song’s success has little to do with the use of AI. But the release of Now and Then wouldn’t be possible without it.
In an interview with BBC Radio, Paul McCartney credited the AI developed by Emile de la Rey, dialogue editor for The Beatles’ Get Back documentary.
“When we came to make what will be the last Beatles’ record, it was a demo that John had, and we were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI,” McCartney said.
The AI was able to detect each member’s voice, separate it from background noises and backing tracks and upscale them for production.
Technology like this could potentially save damaged and crudely recorded audio tracks from different artists across many decades.
The positive this had on music fans and preservationists is very apparent. Fans can hope other songs with lower audio quality or clarity issues could be saved and preserved.
The idea of having AI used in music production still raises concern, as voices can be replicated and music can be created without any involvement from humans.
This possibility should always be considered, as the integrity of music should be upheld and respected especially when it comes to revenue and honours in the industry.
Issues regarding the use of AI have more to do with the lack of regulations placed on AI and its uses rather than what AI has the potential to do.
Although these concerns must be considered the benefits of using AI, just like other advancements in technology, give artists the ability to produce incredible pieces of work.
Technological advancements like AI have a place in the music industry as did drum machines, digital synthesizers and autotune.