YouTube rolls out AI tool that clones artist’s voices (with their consent)
With Dream Track, you can create 30-second tracks in the style of artists who have agreed to lend their voices.
Image: YouTube
YouTube has rolled out a new AI tool allowing creators to clone the voices of famous pop stars – with their consent.
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Affectionately named ‘Dream Track’, the experimental feature allows users to create short, 30-second tracks in the style of artists who have agreed to ‘lend their voices’, so to speak. The nine artists who are working with YouTube on the feature include Alec Benjamin, Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Papoose, Sia, T-Pain, and Troye Sivan.
“By simply typing an idea into the creation prompt and selecting a participating artist that appears in the carousel, an original Shorts soundtrack featuring the AI-generated voice of that artist will be produced for the creator to use in their Short.”
As the company explains, the tool’s use is limited to YouTube Shorts, which means you won’t be finding full-length AI-generated John Legend songs on the web anytime soon. YouTube also says that the feature is currently being tested with a “small group of select US creators”.
Speaking about the project, Puth says: “I’m extremely excited and inspired… YouTube has been a great partner in outlining their approach to AI and understands the need to work together to develop this technology responsibly, ensuring it will accelerate creativity instead of replacing it.”
The release comes on the heels of YouTube’s recent crackdown on AI clones of musicians, giving music labels the ability to take down content.
According to a blog post published by YouTube, the move requires creators to begin labelling AI-generated content that they believe to be “realistic” when uploading videos.
“In determining whether to grant a removal request, we’ll consider factors such as whether content is the subject of news reporting, analysis or critique of the synthetic vocals,” said YouTube Product Management vice presidents Jennifer Flannery O’Connor and Emily Moxley.
“These removal requests will be available to labels or distributors who represent artists participating in YouTube’s early AI music experiments.”
