Popular DJ duo The Chainsmokers (Drew Taggart and Alex Pall) are not falling behind and want to join the list of artists who prefer to embrace artificial intelligence instead of fighting it. Despite concerns about the impact of generative AI on creativity and rights ownership in the music industry, The Chainsmokers harness the technology, viewing it as a valuable tool to elevate their artistic expression.
"As an artist, I want every possible tool to make my art better," said Taggart, as reported by CNBC. "The only answer is to embrace [AI] and figure out a way to harness it."
AI's ability to replicate various stages of song creation, from composing melodies to generating vocals, has led to the proliferation of AI-generated music, prompting platforms like Spotify to address copyright issues by removing thousands of such tracks. But many artists aren't concerned. Rather, and The Chainsmokers are a vivid example of that, they support the idea that someone might prompt an AI song that sounds exactly like them.
"I want to be able to write a song and be able to design my own voice that’s not mine. I want five voices that are mine, but generated off of mine, in a track. I see it as a huge tool that’s going to be enabling Chainsmokers music to reach a level it hadn’t been," Taggart said, as reported by CNBC.
Addressing concerns about potential misuse of AI in music production, the duo highlights the significance of copyright protection—they suggest a framework that enables collaboration with AI creators, ensuring a transparent and legal process for sharing music that aligns with the artists' vision.
While AI contributes to the democratisation of music creation, enabling even those who have no music background whatsoever to produce tracks from the comfort of their homes with little to no production setup, it also introduces challenges such as legal and copyright concerns. AI-generated covers of popular songs and AI-driven deepfakes of big pop stars, circulating widely on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, have gained substantial attention, even competing with original compositions.
In response to the evolving trend as well as to make the AI impact on the music industry and rights ownership more controllable, YouTube initiated the Dream Track experiment, allowing users to incorporate AI-generated versions of select artists into their videos. Notably, The Chainsmokers are going to utilise AI-generated vocals in their music, envisioning the ability to design distinct voices derived from their own.
Following the examples of Grimes and Holly Herndon, who were pioneers in embracing the technology, more and more artists "lend" their voices and incorporate AI into the music production. The Chainsmokers, Demi Lovato, Sia, Charlie Puth are just a few to name. We've covered this in more detail in this story.
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