美国国家公共电台 NPR--When you realize your favorite new song was written and performed by ... AI

When you realize your favorite new song was written and performed by ... AI

Transcript¹

Music fans responded with disbelief this week to the release on streaming and social media platforms of the viral song "Heart on My Sleeve."

The hosts of the popular music-related YouTube channel LawTWINZ were among the many who weighed in, discussing whether the track, which uses artificial intelligence to simulate the music of pop stars Drake and The Weeknd, even surpasses the real pop stars' talents.

Advances in AI have gotten to the point where the technology can quickly create new songs like "Heart on My Sleeve" that sound like they're the work of real artists.

Recent examples, which include a faux song that sounds a lot like something the British alt-rock band Oasis² would put out, hint at AI's bold, creative possibilities and its ethical³ and legal limitations.

Now, artists, lawyers and other industry players are trying to figure out how the technology can be used responsibly.

'The cat is not going back in the bag'

The popularity and revenue-earning potential of AI-generated songs have understandably put music industry gatekeepers on guard.

Drake and The Weeknd label owner Universal Music Group invoked⁴ copyright violation⁵ to get the platforms to take "Heart on My Sleeve" down this week.

"The training of generative AI using our artists' music (which represents both a breach⁶ of our agreements and a violation of copyright law) as well as the availability of infringing⁷ content created with generative AI on DSPs [Demand Side Platforms], begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem⁹ want to be on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation," said the company in a statement shared with NPR.

This wasn't the first time the music corporation flexed¹⁰ its litigation muscles, and it won't be the last; earlier this month, it ordered a takedown of an AI track based on the music of Eminem. The song featured lyrics¹¹ like, "Cats, cats, cats, always on the prowl / They're sneaky and sly with their eyes on the goal."

"The cat is not going back in the bag," said Stanford University associate professor Ge Wang, of the growing popularity of AI-generated music online. Wang, who teaches a class on AI and music, said as the technology becomes more widespread, people can no longer afford to think of it as the stuff of science fiction.

"There's something that we couldn't do now that we can," Wang said. "And along with it is a ton of legal, ethical and artistic¹² considerations that we didn't have to think about before in a practical sense. But now we do."

Music/AI litigation in its infancy¹³

Now, the music industry is trying to play catch up.

From a legal standpoint, music and AI litigation is in its infancy. "It's an emerging area," said entertainment lawyer Craig Averill. "The courts have not weighed in."

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued decisions around AI-related works.

"The author has to be a human as the law stands," Averill said. "It can't be completely computer-generated."

But Averill said dizzying questions remain about the amount of human intervention¹⁴ needed to make AI-generated musical works copyrightable. And if the face of the work isn't a human, then who's the copyright holder⁸?

"If you come up with a composition and then you have an animated¹⁵ character that's front-facing for it, and you don't have to really pay that entity¹⁶ any royalties¹⁷, what does that look like?" Averill said. "We're not there yet."

Ethical and aesthetic¹⁸ issues abound¹⁹

Some artists are skeptical²⁰ that the law will ever catch up with the technology, given the speed at which it is developing.

"It's completely broken logic²¹ that legislation or litigation is going to protect the arts," said Grammy-nominated electronic musician and software developer BT. "It's not gonna happen. It [the technology] is evolving too quickly."

BT said artists — rather than lawyers — should create guardrails around how AI is used for music production and sharing. Like all of the musicians interviewed for this story, BT said he sees great potential in AI as a resource — as long as artists are paid properly.

And he also said there are enormous ethical issues to contend with.

One example is when an AI tool generates lyrics in an artist's style that the actual artist would never sing. The unlikely Eminem song about cats is a case in point — albeit²² a relatively²³ harmless one. The technology could create lyrics that are much more controversial and potentially damaging to a singer's reputation.

"Where we're talking about the creation of vocals²⁴, it could be used to say something that is polar opposite to that person's belief system," BT said.

Then there's the question of aesthetics²⁵.

"One danger is the lowering of artistic standards to a point where fake becomes real and mediocrity rules," said singer-songwriter and voice actor Dan Navarro. "Then commercial music becomes like brown-food-product; able to sustain life, but never truly satisfy."

Launch event for the Human Artistry Campaign at SXSW in Austin, Texas, March 16, 2023. From left: Rob Levine, Billboard²⁶; Jessy Wilson, artist; Dan Navarro, songwriter; Erin Reilly, University of Texas.

Ben Whitehair, SAG-AFTRA

To keep up with the technological²⁷ advances, dozens of entertainment industry representatives recently joined forces to create the Human Artistry Campaign. Navarro is part of this new advocacy group.

"The Human Artistry Campaign's stated goal is to underscore the unique value of human artistry and human creation, especially as technology and opportunism create a culture for conflict and misuse²⁸ and even abuse," Navarro said. "I'd like to see a set of agreed principles with legal teeth so that artists, the music industry, streaming services, and audiences can understand what is — and is not — allowed."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

6 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

7 infringing   

v.违反（规章等）( infringe的现在分词 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等）

参考例句：

• The material can be copied without infringing copyright. 这份材料可以复制，不会侵犯版权。
• The media is accused of infringing on people's privacy. 人们指责媒体侵犯了大家的隐私。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

9 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

10 flexed   

adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌

参考例句：

• He stretched and flexed his knees to relax himself. 他伸屈膝关节使自己放松一下。 来自辞典例句
• He flexed his long stringy muscles manfully. 他孔武有力地弯起膀子，显露出细长条的肌肉。 来自辞典例句

11 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

12 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

13 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

14 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

15 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

16 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

17 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

18 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

19 abound   

vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于

参考例句：

• Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
• But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。

20 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

21 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

22 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

23 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

24 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

25 aesthetics   

n.(尤指艺术方面之)美学，审美学

参考例句：

• Sometimes, of course, our markings may be simply a matter of aesthetics. 当然，有时我们的标点符号也许只是个审美的问题。 来自名作英译部分
• The field of aesthetics presents an especially difficult problem to the historian. 美学领域向历史学家提出了一个格外困难的问题。

26 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

27 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

28 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。