The AI revolution unleashed by ChatGPT is seeping into all sectors, so too the music industry. In February, French DJ David Guetta used the technology to add Eminem’s ‘voice’ to one of his tracks.

 Heart on my Sleeve, an AI-created song, sung by the cloned voices of Drake and The Weeknd, caused quite some nervousness in the sector in late April. In response, Universal Music Group urged streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music to deny AI-bots access to copyrighted songs. In the meantime, French music streaming service Deezer has been working on technology that detects which songs were created using artificial intelligence (AI). 

 But the marriage between music and artificial intelligence isn’t as new as you might think. In 1960, Russian researcher Rudolf Zaporiv published a first paper on algorithmic musical compositions with the aid of a Ural-1 computer. Five years later, the American inventor Ray Kurzweil premiered a piano piece created by a computer. And in 1997, the computer programme ‘Experiments in Musical Intelligence’ managed to recreate compositions in the style of Bach.

Is the panic justified and should we see artificial intelligence as a growing threat to the music industry? Should artists start fearing for their livelihoods? Rapid technological progress often encounters (legal) grey areas and ethical dilemmas. High time then, to dive into these with some experts. The names of the panellists will be announced soon.

(The above text was not created with the aid of ChatGPT.)

This debate is organised in collaboration with Music Tech Belgium.