Just as YoungGuru started warning music consumers the danger AI poses to their favorite music artists, a script kiddie named @ghostwriter877 goes viral with a generated Drake and TheWeeknd track.

What Had Happened Was

Last weekend, Drake took to the Gram and proclaimed, “this is the final straw, AI!” He was upset a song used his voice to generate lyrics on top of an Ice Spice song.

After his proclamation, @ghostwriter877 generated a new song, using his lyrics, and using Drake and TheWeeknd’s vocals. The song, “Heart on My Sleeve,” was posted on YouTube and TikTok. Two user generated-content social networks. This song instantly went viral using a brand new handle.

The song proliferation spread from YouTube and TikTok to Apple Music and Spotify.

Drake and The Weeknd’s primary label, Universal Music Group, issued a “the Dangers of AI” statement and Apple Music and Spotify removed the track from their networks.

YouTube and TikTok kept the track up for a while, but ultimately taking the track down citing copyright reasons.

Eventually, the track made it back to YouTube. You can listen to it here.

The real Drake, has gone silent about the AI Drake biting his voice.

What’s Really Going On?

Thanks to my cynical GenX sensibilities I can’t help but wonder how much of this is the hype machine for the next track from Drake.

We’ve heard from lots of people on the issue surrounding AI generated music. This latest round of hit making sounds more like the hype machine at work, than artists genuinely getting upset about AI generated tracks. Ice Spice’s music not withstanding.

People go viral, but a new Drake track from a no-name going viral is another thing altogether.

Google’s Conundrum

We’re entering a new realm of content creation. One where copyright rules are being blurred by the technology. YouTube and TikTok largely operate DMCA-scott free because they use a wide interpretation of copyright.

YouTube and TikTok users constantly post content that doesn’t belong to them, and often times don’t claim is their’s.

When content owners like Universal Music Group and other record labels make a DMCA demand, YouTube is quick to honor it. Because, this is mostly done when copyright hasn’t been attributed or abused.

This song was generated by @ghostwriter877 using their own lyrics. I don’t know about the beat. The law hasn’t caught up with protecting voiceprint data. Voiceprints are considered biometric data. Which comprises a person’s likeness. The law is hazy if it’s considered copyright protectable however.

The Real Problem

The real problem is soooooo many music artists use vocoders, auto-tune, and other filters so heavily in their music, it makes it easy for AI to transform. *tongue in cheek*

If all of popular music didn’t sound the same these algorithms might have a harder time generating new tracks.

We’re in the beginnings of a new epoch of creativity and we haven’t figured out how to make new stuff yet. It’s always easier rehashing and remixing old content than inventing new content. Right now, AI is a really nice toy people are using to create the latest generation samples and generating remixes.

I think AI in music and art production have a place. We’re still figuring that out. I just wish the hacks would give up already. We already have Drake’s, The Weeknd’s, and Kendrick Lamar’s voice. Trying inventing something new.

Speaking of something new, Macie Jones’ latest article is about an artist turning down a prize for AI generated photography.