Indian Musicians Grapple with AI: Concerns and Opportunities in the Music Industry

Once we establish how to use AI properly, negative comments will go away: Krishna Chetan | Tamil Movie News - Times of India

AI is not a threat to singers. If they have their voice modelled, upcoming singers can use the model to streamline the approval process for tunes, says Krishna Chetan. Meet Krishna Chetan, a musician-technician, who is behind the revival of the voice of late singers and actors in Tamil cinema. From recreating the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya, Shahul Hameed and Bhavatharani's voices using AI, he also recreated the voices of late actors Vivekh and Manobala. In a chat with us, he gives us a peek into voice recreation through AI and addresses the conflicted public opinion on AI, what went behind these recreations and more... ON HOW A VOICE IS RECREATED WITH AI... On one side, we create a model based on the voice of the singers whose vocals have to be recreated with AI. On the other side, the composer will record the song with a pilot voice, which will then be replaced with voice texture of the singer whose voice has to be recreated. So, a pilot singer needs to first sing the track, and they should sing and emote like how the other singer would have sung it. 'PITCHED THIS TECH TO RAHMAN SIR WITH A DEMO OF THALLI POGATHEY IN BAMBA BAKYA'S VOICE' Bamba was a very close friend of mine. We wanted to try this out because he had such a unique voice. We started a trial project and slowly were able to give good results. We then pitched it to AR Rahman sir by changing Sid Sriram's voice in Thalli Pogathey to Bamba's voice. He was impressed by it, but only used it when it was needed. ON WHETHER THE PILOT VOICE SHOULD BE GIVEN CREDIT... The pilot voice is not singing in their own style but rather in the other singer's style. They are not expressing themselves but someone else. Also, generally, if a singer becomes famous for singing something, then they will be typecast and people will assume they will only sing for this purpose. Not crediting the pilot voice is a thoughtful decision and we have to respect that. ON RECREATING VIVEKH AND MANOBALA'S VOICES... A mimicry artiste first dubbed for the portions where the team had needed Vivek sir's voice. The artiste sat with the director and dubbed it with all the necessary expressions and modulation of Vivekh sir. We were then handed over the track, following which we changed it into Vivekh sir's voice. Before Indian 2, we had only worked on songs; recreating dialogues using AI was new for us. The model had to retain Vivekh sir and Manobala sir's comic timing and voice expressions. This proved to be very challenging for us. 'WE KNEW THE FAMILY WAS OKAY WITH USING AI BECAUSE THE REQUEST CAME FROM THEIR SIDE' People might be against it because there is no clear path on how it can be used properly in a structured manner. But once we establish that path and show the world that this is how it can be done properly, then all these negative comments will go away. We also need a structured way of knowing how and when to do it. If we are working with the production team on a specific song, it is our duty to make sure that the family is notified. For GOAT, the request came from the family's side. So, we knew t he family was okay with us doing it. 'COMPOSERS CAN USE THIS TECH TO CHECK WHETHER A SONG WORKS IN A SINGER'S VOICE BEFORE RECORDING THEM' AI is not a threat to singers. If they have their voice modelled, upcoming singers can use the model to streamline the approval process for tunes. This saves a lot of time and creates new opportunities for them. Singers can also use this technology to time capsule their voices because, every 10 years, their voice changes. If singers embrace this technology, they can be available to many composers at the same time. As for composers, they can use this tech to check whether a song they have created works in Hariharan's voice or Sid Sriram's voice. So, instead of calling the singers and then figuring out, they can take the decision based on AI. 'Yuvan sir's team reached out to us' Before Chinna Chinna Kangal, we had done Thimiri Yezhuda from Lal Salaam with Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed's voices. After hearing that song, Yuvan Shankar Raja sir's team contacted Rahman sir's team, got our number and reached out to us.

After Kumar Sanu, Shaan, Arjun Kanungo speak up on legal protection for their voices against AI misuse

In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, Sanu said, "I recently went to the United States to perform in a string of concerts. My next move is going to be approaching the court and take an order like this. Technology today is dominated by AI. Kisi bhi singer ka duplicate ban jaaye, I don't think this will be correct. One has to protect themselves by way of such methods. AI is dangerous" Also Read: Kumar Sanu to get personality rights protected like Amitabh Bachchan, says 'AI se duplicate voice banana is wrong' Resonating with Sanu's thoughts, other singers also express their concern about the same. We, in the Board of Indian Singers and Musicians Rights' Association (ISAMRA), have had several discussions on how to tackle AI-generated voice impersonations. To have to go the legal route individually can be very complicated. I am confident that in a few weeks, we will have an AI protection clause ready that can patent established voices and safeguard them against being misused or commercially exploited. Protecting our voices is of paramount importance for artistes today. With advancements in AI, the potential threats are unpredictable and significant. I think the only way forward is to use legal aid and protect your voice; I would definitely consider it. In the next couple of years, different scenarios could emerge where people's voices are being misused and it could pose a big problem. Musicians should consider integrating these technological advances into their practice. Having said that, artistes shouldn't be exploited at the cost of innovation -- there needs to be an equitable ecosystem. Arbitrary usage or copyright infringement of any form warrants legal counsel and action. It should be a choice that every artiste should have. More than AI itself, it is the usage of AI and the legalities around it that form the problem. The issue at hand is that laws are not clear. I would definitely want to protect my voice against any possible misuse. In fact, every artiste should seek protection. I am not aware of laws in our country with respect to AI and how strong they are or how many loopholes they have but if there is a way, I'd surely consider it. Earlier this year, over 200 international artistes signed an open letter asking for protection against misuse of their voice by AI. These include Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Nicki Minaj, REM, among others, reported The Guardian. The letter was issued by Artist Rights Alliance advocacy group and demanded that technology companies promise to not replace human voices with technology. The estates of late musicians Frank Sinatra and Bob Marley have also signed on this.