TikTok testing generative AI songmaking tool – and so far, it absolutely sucks
AI Song is able to generate songs from TikTok users’ text prompts – but it’s certainly not stealing musicians’ jobs anytime soon.
Credit: Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The use of artificial intelligence in creative spaces is a touchy subject. From the uproar over Jason M. Allen’s award-winning AI ‘painting’ at the 2022 Colorado State Fair, to the war on AI in the first-of-its-kind copyright infringement case against Stability AI, it seems artists aren’t too happy about AI’s creative streak.
While AI art has been an ongoing discussion topic for the last few years, it seems TikTok is set to spark another controversial debate with its new feature: AI Song.
- READ MORE: TikTok’s parent company to shut down Resso music platform in India due to “local market conditions”
The new AI-powered feature is able to generate catchy tunes from text prompts, aided by BLOOM, BigScience’s open multilingual language model. Users will be presented with a choice AI-generated song to use, as well as being able to shift the song’s genre.
The feature was reportedly first spotted last week on the app. While AI Song isn’t available for everyone yet, the prompt to use AI Song is said to pop up when searching to add a sound to your post.
Musician Jonah Manzano showcases the feature in a recent TikTok, taking us through each step as he asks AI Song to generate a track about ‘attending a comedy show.’ The result is an awkward, horrendously out of tune garble of bland pop.
@jonahcruzmanzano How to create a song using AI on TikTok. 🎵 Explore the world of AI music on TikTok! Join me in creating catchy Pop, EDM, and HipHop songs using simple prompts and words. 🤖✨ Let’s make music together! 🚀🎶 What is AI Song? AI Song is an experimental feature available on TikTok, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to generate songs based on prompts you input. How does AI Song work? The lyric generation in AI Song is driven by Bloom, a robust language model employing machine learning to produce text. It’s important to note that lyrics generated by this model might include errors, and the same lyrics may be generated for multiple users utilizing the feature. For your security, refrain from sharing personal or confidential information while using AI Song #tiktok #tiktoknewfeature #tiktokai #tiktoknews #tiktokupdate
While it’s clear text-prompted AI songs aren’t going to top the charts any time soon, TikTok has certainly boasted a number of successful AI sounds recently. From Kanye crooning along to Lana Del Ray, to Ariana Grande covering K-Pop, AI generated covers have taken TikTok by storm. User Ghostwriter977 has had perhaps the most success of the bunch, with his AI-generted ‘Heart on My Sleeve’ track, emulating vocals by Drake and The Weeknd.
The Verge has reportedly reached out to TikTok for comment on the new AI Song feature, with no word yet.
Elsewhere, it’s clear that AI is certainly intriguing artists themselves. Techno star Reinier Zonneveld has recently developed R², an AI clone of his musical brain. Trained on over 2000 hours of his music, Zonneveld has stated that the technology will be able to intuitively “create music on the spot.”
