The increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the creative sphere, specifically in music, has met a lot of criticism and backlash from people in the industry.
Artists have pointed out the immense decline in the art quality of pieces created through artificial intelligence. Deepfaking voices have been rampant in the past few months - where AI creators use the voices of artists in creating new music and or using it to sing other songs.
On TikTok, the proliferation of AI-generated music with so-called "Robo-Rockstars" has become rampant. This was one of the causes of why Universal Music Group pulled out thousands of songs from various artists on the platform - because the platform failed to strike a fair contract that would safeguard artists from the threat of AI, copyright, and piracy.
With this growing conversation, more and more people are becoming concerned about the threat of Artificial Intelligence in music - with some asking if it could create music superstars.
Can AI Create Music Superstars?
Although AI has already sparked a threat among industry veterans and artists, Paul Resnikoff of Digital Music News posits that Artificial Intelligence can only replace as much.
This is because AI could not replicate the very human emotion and insanity that real-life artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, Elvis Presley, and Jim Morrison have contributed to the world of music.
Resnikoff also pointed out that a "real connection" to the fans builds these music superstars. While AI may have the formula to create a real catchy song that could be enjoyed by many, it wouldn't stand the longevity and timelessness of records that continue to be listened to today.
"But the real connection goes far beyond the music and into the relatability, the human charisma, and the feeling that despite the searing levels of celebrity, there's still a human that sleeps, eats, drinks, screws up, and even gets dumped - just like you," Resnikoff underscored.
Conversations around Artificial Intelligence in music are very polarized. While many see the benefit of it, many are threatened by the yet-to-be-discovered capabilities of the platform.
READ ALSO: Trevor Noah Slams TikTok After UMG Songs Pullout: 'Shame On You!'
UMG Pulls Out Music On TikTok
In a shocking move, Universal Music Group pulled out hundreds and thousands of songs from TikTok after they failed to come up with a fair agreement that would safeguard the publishing company and its artists against the threat of Artificial Intelligence and copyright.
In Resnikoff's think piece, he emphasized that the realities of Artificial Intelligence are limited. He noted that even a viral video with a famous singer's song holds more impact than an AI-generated song recording - even TikTok stars tap into human emotion instead of AI-generated content.
As TikTok seemed to keep a blind eye to the threat of AI in the music industry, it would seem like UMG would continue to support breathing, thinking, and feeling human superstars that could do a better song than AI even on their worst day.
