YouTube is expanding its AI capabilities by testing a new tool designed to remix music for creators posting Shorts videos. The feature, still in the testing phase, allows a select group of creators to upload their music, along with a prompt specifying details like genre or mood. In response, the AI generates a new, 30-second soundtrack aimed at fitting the creator’s vision.
This remix tool builds on YouTube’s Dream Track, which was launched last year for U.S.-based artists. Dream Track uses artificial intelligence to help create original music based on prompts and pre-recorded vocals. Well-known artists such as Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Sia, T-Pain, and Charlie Puth gave permission for their vocals to be used by YouTube for this project. Through the new remix tool, the AI takes familiar tracks and reimagines them in completely different styles. For instance, it could transform a pop song into a jazz ballad or an R&B tune into a formal baroque composition.
The Dream Track tool relies on Lyria, an AI music generation model developed by Google’s DeepMind team. Lyria interprets both words and sounds, blending them into entirely new compositions. YouTube assures creators that while the tracks are AI-generated, the attribution to both the original song and the AI remix will be clear on the platform. Creators in the experiment group can easily select a song, specify their desired changes, and generate a remix to accompany their Shorts video. These remixed tracks will be attributed to both the original artist and the AI, with clear labeling showing the AI’s involvement.
A Win for Creators and the Music Industry?
The idea of quickly customizing music to suit specific themes or moods is undoubtedly appealing for content creators, offering an easy way to diversify their soundtracks for different Shorts. From a legal standpoint, YouTube has been proactive in addressing copyright concerns. The platform has already signed a deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) to ensure fair compensation for artists and rights holders when AI tools are used in music generation. This agreement helps prevent copyright disputes, which have been a common issue as AI technology continues to grow in the music space.
This contrasts with other instances where creators have expressed frustration over their content being used to train AI models without consent. YouTube’s efforts to navigate the complexities of AI and copyright could provide a more balanced approach, ensuring that both creators and the music industry benefit from the new technology. Beyond remixing music, YouTube has already rolled out various AI-driven tools for video content creation, such as the Brainstorm with Gemini feature for generating video ideas and AI tools designed to help creators avoid copyright issues by automatically removing infringing music from videos.
