[YeitSuda] The Revenge of AI Voices That Invoke Fear

AI Cover Songs Surpassing Imitation Level
Rising Issues of Copyright Infringement and Defamation
Urgent Need for Detection Technology to Prevent Criminal Misuse

There was no choice but to be surprised as soon as I heard the first verse. "'Cause I know what you like boy (ah-ah) You’re my chemical hype boy (ah-ah)." A video of Bruno Mars covering ‘Hype boy’ recently became a hot topic on YouTube. Fans went wild over his distinctive tone, the realistically off-key moments in between, and surprisingly (?) clumsy yet accurate Korean pronunciation. The video has been gaining popularity, surpassing 1.04 million views just two weeks after being uploaded. The video, which sounds as if Bruno Mars himself sang it, was actually created by artificial intelligence (AI) trained on his voice.

The craze for ‘cover’ songs?rearranging familiar hit songs in the voice of a specific singer?is intensifying. So-called ‘AI cover songs,’ produced by synthesizing audio using AI trained with the deep voice of well-known singers, go beyond mere imitation of the voice to capture the unique musical characteristics and personality of the actual artist, producing a variety of results.

Recently, a new song ‘Heart on My Sleeve’ by famous singer-songwriter The Weeknd and pop star Drake was revealed to be a fake audio created by AI, leading to its removal due to copyright infringement. Last month, a video surfaced showing rapper Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie), who passed away 20 years ago, singing Nas’s song ‘New York State of Mind,’ sparking controversy. Some responded that it was a ‘historic work’ allowing us to hear Biggie’s voice again in some way, while others criticized it as a third party profiting from the deceased’s voice without consent from the bereaved family.

[Image source= Pixabay]

As AI cover songs produced without the consent of the artists themselves are released on video platforms and generate revenue, issues of copyright infringement and defamation have arisen. A representative from the Korea Music Copyright Association explained, "Officially, consent from neighboring rights holders is required when producing AI cover song videos," adding, "Since the right to personality protected under Article 10 of the Constitution is involved, unauthorized use of another person’s voice can lead to claims for damages due to infringement of personality rights. Therefore, when using existing singers’ songs as covers, consent from neighboring rights holders such as lyricists and composers is necessary."

Following the incident involving The Weeknd and Drake, Universal Music Group reportedly requested video platforms including YouTube to ban the posting of AI cover songs for songs whose copyrights they hold. Current U.S. law is unclear regarding ownership and copyright of works created by AI, raising concerns about potential copyright abuse.

The controversy over deep voice technology in the arts is a relatively elegant issue. Deep voice technology exploited for crime is causing even greater harm. In 2021, a bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) transferred $35 million after receiving a call from someone posing as a corporate executive client. The caller was not the executive but a criminal group that created the executive’s voice using deep voice technology. Gartner, a U.S. information technology (IT) research firm, predicted that 20% of financial fraud crimes this year would involve misuse of deepfake technology. Experts point out that it is urgent for the government and legislature to take the lead in supporting the development of deep voice detection technology. The terrifying reality of the power of voice, which moves people’s hearts, being replicated by technology and exploited for crime is approaching us.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.