YouTube works on an AI tool that allows you to sing like your favorite music artist

Lately, Artificial intelligence is in the spotlight, making its way into the products and services of big tech players. Meta has introduced its AI Assistant, finding a home on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Google, not to be outdone, has its AI-powered chatbot, Bard, and the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are loaded with a slew of AI-powered features. And the tech giant isn't stopping there; it's all about AI these days.

Now, it seems that YouTube, a part of the Google family, is cooking up an AI tool that will let creators tweak their voices to mimic famous artists. Bloomberg reports that according to sources familiar with the matter, who prefer to remain anonymous, the streaming platform has reached out to music companies to discuss obtaining songs' rights for training this tool.

This upcoming tool would enable users to record audio using the voices of famous musicians. However, as of now, major record labels haven't given their green light, and discussions between the two parties are ongoing. YouTube is treading carefully to ensure the legal use of this technology, considering its history with the music industry. While past relations were challenging, they improved in the last few years as the streaming platform increased royalty payments.

AI is viewed by the music industry as both a promising technology and a potential threat. In the past, the industry faced challenges from piracy and user-generated content, then from streaming services like Spotify and YouTube, which made music companies cautious about embracing new technologies.

Yet, artists recognize the potential for these models to open new creative avenues. Musicians and labels are keen on controlling how companies use their copyrighted works to train models, seeking permission and compensation. The interest in AI heightened for record labels after a song that sounded remarkably like Drake and the Weeknd, though not recorded by them, went viral and was actually submitted for Grammys.

Earlier this month, YouTube unveiled new features, some leveraging AI. For example, the new Search by voice or song feature uses AI to match the sound to the original recording.