AI writing and AI art have been all the rage lately. Now, Google’s new MusicLM is software that can create AI Music.
But, Google is hesitant to unleash this powerful new software for fear of possible copyright and ethical questions.
Listen to Examples of Google’s MusicLM
Here are three examples of the same hummed melody in different styles with different instruments.
First, here is a man humming a melody as the prompt.
With this short musical melody, the AI was able to create full music recordings. These are short snippets as an example, but the AI is capable of doing longer pieces of music as well.
What is MusicLM?
Google Labs recently developed MusicLM, an AI system that can generate music of any genre based on a simple prompt. While this isn’t the first artificial intelligence system in this field, it is the first one that has successfully surmounted all the obstacles posed by the task.
How Does MusicLM Work?
MusicLM has been trained with a whopping 280,000 hours of music – an unprecedented amount that enables it to create more accurate and detailed compositions.
Google reports that its model works better than earlier Music AI attempts regarding audio quality and text description conformity.
MusicLM offers music in diverse lengths, all generated from mere descriptions that detail a song’s genre, atmosphere, and instrumentation. From 30-second clips to five-minute pieces created using one or two words, such as “Relaxing Jazz.”
In a remarkable feat of engineering, Google has created an AI system that can generate music in any style with only minimal input.
The Limitations of Previous Music AI Systems
Google’s MusicLM is not the first software for AI music. Although Dance Diffusion, Google’s AudioML, and OpenAI’s Jukebox have all made valiant attempts in the past, there was still much to be done to create a usable AI music generation system.
Past systems have failed to generate music that is sophisticated in composition or usable sound quality due to constrained technical capabilities and insufficient training material.
How to Create Music with MusicLM
Google has shown that its algorithm can add to existing tunes, whether the user hums, whistles, sings out loud, or plays an instrument.
Moreover, MusicLM can take multiple written descriptors such as “time to relax,” “time to wake up,” and even “time to give it your all” and blend them into a captivating piece, perfect for an unforgettable movie score that may last several minutes.
Furthermore, the user can control MusicLM using a mixture of an image and description or create music that is “performed” through a specific type of instrument in the desired genre.
You can change the AI musician’s skill level to fit your needs and have it make music inspired by specific places, times, or even goals, like tunes to get you moving when you’re working out.
Problems with MusicLM’s AI Songs
But MusicLM isn’t perfect—far from it.
The training method has the unavoidable side effect of distorting some of the samples.
Moreover, although MusicLM has the potential to create vocal sounds and choir harmonies, the quality of these produced musical elements is far from satisfactory.
Additionally, while MusicLM may theoretically produce vocals, including choir harmonies, they are far from ideal. Most of the “lyrics” are generated by voices resembling various musicians, ranging from barely understandable English to pure gibberish.
Potential Ethical Concerns
Although MusicLM is an exciting concept, Google researchers know the potential ethical concerns such a system may raise.
These issues include the possibility for the system to accidentally include copyrighted content in generated compositions as part of its training data.
Their early experiments revealed that 1% of the music generated by the system was an exact replica of songs it had learned from!
The rate reported was so high that they can’t release MusicLM in its current form.
The Legal Implications of MusicLM
Previously, the use of web-scraped training data without the permission of its creators in AI systems that generate text, code, and images has caused controversy.
Now, even with promises that MusicML is a tool to aid artists instead of replacing them, legal issues may occur if MusicLM or a similar system is ever released for public use.
Since the debut of early AI Music systems, skeptics have debated the implications of teaching AI models to be trained on copyrighted music.
As various legal actions ensue, which include questioning the rights of those whose artistic work is unknowingly used to train AI systems, we can expect that their outcomes will shape music-creating Artificial Intelligence.
Possible Uses for MusicLM
Google’s MusicLM might not be the perfect music-creating AI tool yet, but it has several potential applications.
One potential use for MusicLM could be in the world of film and video game soundtracks, where its ability to generate custom music tailored to certain scenes or time periods would come in handy.
Researchers are also exploring using AI technology to create personalized songs on the fly based on user preferences, such as areas, eras, or even goals (such as motivational polkas for exercising).
Music AI systems could open up a new level of musical possibilities that could make music creation more accessible and diverse than ever.
Can AI Ever Replace Composers?
No matter how powerful Artificial Intelligence may become, it is doubtful that AI will ever be able to replicate the creative processes of a talented composer.
A computer can generate music in line with specific parameters. Still, it cannot draw from emotion or experience to create truly stunning compositions.
Instead, these machines can be helpful tools for composers.
They can help fill out sections needing assistance and provide inspiration on days when creativity has been exhausted.
Conclusion
MusicLM is an exciting AI music innovation that could change the music industry in a big way.
Its ability to generate unique compositions and customize them to fit any need or preference can open up a world of creative possibilities for human composers.
However, it’s important to keep in mind the ethical implications of such a system and how it may impact existing copyright laws.
AI music’s future is bright but uncertain – only time will tell what new developments this technology brings!
These developments can revolutionize not only the way we create music and art but also our understanding of creativity itself.
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
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AI Music FAQ
Q: Is AI music really a thing?
A: Yes! AI technology has come a long way and is now used to generate compositions and songs.
Q: Will AI ever replace human composers?
A: While Artificial Intelligence can help aid composers, it is doubtful that machines will fully replace talented musicians’ creative processes. Therefore, AI should be viewed as a tool to assist human music-makers and not as a replacement.
Q: What are the potential applications for MusicLM?
A: MusicLM could help create customized soundtracks for film or video games and personalized songs. It may also open up new possibilities in music creation, making it more accessible and diverse than ever before.
Q: What ethical implications should we consider?
A: As AI music is developed and released, it is important to keep legal issues in mind. Copyright laws may be impacted by using copyrighted material for training AI systems, resulting in further legal action.
Q: What does the future of AI Music look like?
A: The future of AI music looks bright but uncertain. It could change how people make music by giving them new ways to use it and new ways to be creative. However, further research must be done before this technology can become widely adopted. With continued developments in artificial intelligence, we may soon see AI playing an even more significant role in music creation!
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