The production is slick, the drums are on point, and the vocals sound great, but a titan of Newfoundland and LabradorB次元官网网址檚 music scene hears something off about B次元官网网址淚t Could Be WorseB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭ales of The Atlantic,B次元官网网址� two songs generated in less than a minute by a powerful algorithm.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a country singer, so thatB次元官网网址檚 wrong. And the lyrics donB次元官网网址檛 really rhyme,B次元官网网址� said Bob Hallett, a founding member of Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea. B次元官网网址淚t just sounds sort of strange.B次元官网网址�

Hallett had just finished listening to the rollicking tunes, which were created using a generative artificial intelligence tool called Suno using prompts that could describe any Great Big Sea jam: Celtic, folk, lively, passionate.

They didnB次元官网网址檛 hit the mark, Hallett said. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the bandB次元官网网址檚 hit B次元官网网址淥rdinary Day,B次元官网网址� he gave the songs a two.

But experts say that rating could increase quickly. Technology like SunoB次元官网网址檚 is advancing swiftly, and its output is only getting better, said Jimmy Lin, a professor and director at the University of WaterlooB次元官网网址檚 artificial intelligence institute.

Suno is one of several companies building generative artificial intelligence software that allows users to create original songs using text prompts. People can create instrumental tracks or songs with lyrics, which can be generated by the program or supplied by the user. But if the user offers copyrighted lyrics B次元官网网址� the first lines of NirvanaB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淪mells Like Teen Spirit,B次元官网网址� for example B次元官网网址� the program wonB次元官网网址檛 make the song.

Suno also doesnB次元官网网址檛 make songs intended to sound like other artistsB次元官网网址� work, such as B次元官网网址淗eart on My Sleeve,B次元官网网址� the AI-generatedsong using unauthorized sound-alike vocals of Drake and the Weeknd which caused controversy in the music industry last year. When asked to make B次元官网网址渁 Great Big Sea song about cod fishing,B次元官网网址� the resulting Suno tunes had a pensive, Celtic flair, but they sounded nothing like an authentic track by the band.

Google is working on similar software, called MusicFX, which can be sampled through its AI Test Kitchen site. And Adobe unveiled Project Music GenAI Control last month, which it described as an B次元官网网址渆arly-stage generative AI music generation and editing tool.B次元官网网址�

In December, Microsoft introduced a Suno-powered song generator for its Copilot chatbot, which is a program that uses artificial intelligence to simulate conversation with users.

The technology behind these programs is similar to that powering the ChatGPT chatbot.

Lin said such programs use massive data sets to B次元官网网址渢rainB次元官网网址� algorithms, or step-by-step processes, to take any starting point and predict what the next one will be. So while chatbots trained with text can predict the next word in a written answer, a music-generating program is trained using sound to predict the next B次元官网网址渁coustic sequence,B次元官网网址� he said.

The New York Times sued Microsoft and ChatGPT owner OpenAI in December for using its stories to train programs.

Lin said companies behind AI platforms that make music could find themselves in similar trouble if theyB次元官网网址檝e trained their algorithms with work by artists who havenB次元官网网址檛 given consent or received compensation for their music to be used that way.

B次元官网网址淚t is an unresolved question whether this is fair use or not,B次元官网网址� he said in an interview. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檒l sort itself out. The court always does.B次元官网网址�

SunoB次元官网网址檚 website does not indicate what data it used to build its program, and the company did not return a request for comment.

Hallett said he wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be surprised if the algorithms had learned from a few Newfoundland bands. He said the songs it produced had a few signature sonic markings, including tight melodies and heavy strumming on acoustic guitars, that he and his fellow producers have cultivated over the years recording albums for bands like the Ennis Sisters, Shanneyganock and The Fables.

He was unfazed, however, about the music being used to train these programs, noting that artists have long been contending with platforms like YouTube and Spotify that already cut deeply into musiciansB次元官网网址� earnings.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a bit of a feeling of surrender about it all B次元官网网址� it is so hard to police it,B次元官网网址� Hallett said. B次元官网网址淐reative work is really about driving your concert sales, or finding commercial placements. Even at the highest levels, people arenB次元官网网址檛 really making money anymore selling records.B次元官网网址�

Lin said AI-generated songs will likely be used by advertisers who need a catchy jingle for a commercial. And he believes that could start happening soon given the dizzying pace at which these tools are evolving.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not talking about years or decades. WeB次元官网网址檙e talking about months,B次元官网网址� Lin said.

But Hallett said anyone looking to use music to connect with an audience would be best served by human beings.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 easy to become scared of AI,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut all of us are drawn to sincerity in music. We want to hear people who are telling us a real story and delivering real emotions. And the computer just canB次元官网网址檛 do that.B次元官网网址�

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B次元官网网址� With files from The Associated Press

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press