Singer Grimes says AI can use her voice for songs
Singer/songwriter Grimes performs onstage during The Game Awards 2019 at Microsoft Theater on Dec. 12, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. Grimes put the word out on April 24, 2023, that she is fine with her voice being used for AI-generated songs, as long as she gets half the royalties. Image: JC Olivera / Getty Images via AFP
NEW YORK—Canadian singer Grimes put the word out Monday, April 24, that she is fine with her voice being used for AI-generated songs, as long as she gets half the royalties.
The 35-year-old songwriter, producer and performer said in an Instagram post that she would treat an artificial intelligence hit using her voice as she would a collaboration with any artist.
“Feel free to use my voice without penalty,” Grimes said in a post on her verified Instagram account.
“I’ll split 50 percent royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice.”
Grimes added that she has no obligations to a recording label so she can uphold the offer.
The singer’s post contained a reference to news about AI being used to imitate Canadian singers Drake and The Weeknd.
The viral song released last Friday, “Heart on My Sleeve,” was briefly available on platforms including Spotify and Apple Music before Universal Music Group—which publishes both artists through a subsidiary—said it violated copyrights and asked for its removal.
The use of AI in music is the subject of debate in the industry, with some denouncing copyright abuses and others praising its prowess.
Steadily improving generative AI from OpenAI has fueled debate about whether the software respects intellectual property.
Grimes is a former partner of Tesla chief Elon Musk, with whom she had two children including one by surrogate mother.
Musk has called AI a threat to humanity while simultaneously investing in the technology. /ra
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