A song composed using artificial intelligence (AI) to clone the voices of Drake and The Weeknd went viral on social media.

The song called Heart on the tongue (Heart on the sleeve), simulates an exchange of verses – most of them referencing fellow singer and actress Selena Gómez, ex-partner of The Weeknd – between the two stars.

According to the creator, who identifies himself as @ghostwriter (ghostwriter), the song was created by software trained with the voices of these two artists.

“We’re just getting started,” he wrote under the video for the song YouTube.

“We really are in a new era,” someone replied in the comments, “You don’t even know what’s legit or fake anymore”.

“This is the first example of AI-generated music that has really blown me away,” he added on Twitter. Mckay Wrigley, an artificial intelligence developer.

Since being posted on Friday, the song has received over 8.5 million views on TikTok. The full version has also been played 254,000 times on Spotify.

The song opens with a repeating piano pattern that transitions into a resonant bass thump, as the AI-generated Drake raps, “I came in with my ex like Selena to bend / Bumpin’ Justin Bieber, the fever ain’t gone” (Came with my ex, like Selena to bow to Justin Bieber/say hello, fever never goes away).

The fake The Weeknd responds with a verse “accusing” Gomez of being unfaithful to him before their 2017 divorce. The track even contains a reference to the producer Subway flourisheswho has worked with artists like 21 Savage, Future, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West.

not perfect

The song feels like a pirated demo: low quality, scratches, sometimes difficult to understand vocals and noticeable technical glitches, elements that the AI ​​certainly uses to its advantage.

Drake complained last week about the use of his voice in AI programs. GETTY IMAGES

So far, neither artist has officially commented on the song, but Drake has previously expressed his displeasure with his voice being used in a similar way.

He recently posted a fan-made video to his Instagram account, in which Drake himself appears to be rapping the song Ice Spice, Munch (Feeling U). Drake’s commentary on the video was: “this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back AI”.

Drake’s complaint came after Universal Music Group wrote to music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music asking them not to allow artificial intelligence companies to access their music libraries.

“We will not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists,” UMG warned in the email, obtained by the Financial Times newspaper.

“AI is the future of music”

Several websites already allow fans to create new songs with voice imitations of the biggest pop stars.

Guetta received the Best Producer of the Year award at the British 2023. GETTY IMAGES

Recently, French DJ David Guetta used a site called uberduck.ai to imitate Eminem’s voice so he could add it to one of his instrumentals.

“I’m sure the future of music is in AI,” he told the BBC.

But he said the technology could only be useful “as a tool,” as the drum machine (electronic drum box) and the sampler (sampling machines, which mix existing recordings).”

“Nothing is going to replace the taste,” he said. “What defines an artist is that you have a specific taste, you have a special kind of emotion that you want to express. and you are going to use all the modern tools to achieve that”.

A possible structural change

The phenomenon of using technology in the music world has been in the news for some time now.

Recent controversies over the use of technology in music include a deep fake by Rihanna to sing “cuff it” by Beyonce; and an AI clone of Kanye West “singing” the acoustic balladHello, Delilah.” something that shows that the meteoric rise of technology continues to shake up the music industry.

For example, “Heart On My Sleeve” does not infringe copyright, as it appears to be a completely original composition.

The author also clarified that neither Drake nor The Weeknd were involved in the creation of the song.something that could theoretically protect you from a potential lawsuit for trying to “pass off” the song as the artist’s original material and trying to take advantage of people through trickery.

In response, a broad coalition of musicians and artists launched a ‘Human Art Campaign’, aiming to ensure that artificial intelligence does not ‘hollow out’ human creativity.

The group – which is supported by the Recording Industry Association of America, the Independent Music Association and the British Phonographic Industry – outlined seven principles advocating best practice for the use of artificial intelligence, noting that copyright protection should only be given to music created by humans.

“There is so much potential with AI, but it also poses risks to our creative community,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, at the launch of the initiative.

“It’s essential that we get it right from the start so we don’t risk losing the artistic magic that only humans can create,” he added.