YouTube debuts AI tool that mimics vocals of artists like John Legend, Demi Lovato – CNBC

People walk past a billboard advertisement for YouTube on September 27, 2019 in Berlin, Germany.Sean Gallup | Getty ImagesYouTube is launching a new tool powered by artificial intelligence that will allow users to record audio using the voices of some of today’s most famous musicians, the company announced Thursday.The new product, called “Dream Track,” is a collaboration with nine musical artists including John Legend, Demi Lovato, T-Pain, and Sia, among others. Through text-based directions, users can auto-generate short tracks of up to 30 seconds in the voice and style of a participating artist.As of launch, about 100 creators in the U.S. will have access to the tool. It will be limited to YouTube Shorts, the platform’s short-form video sharing feature which rivals TikTok, owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance.The launch comes as the video giant, owned by Alphabet, looks to capitalize on the intersection of AI technology and music, and as it reckons with the new technology’s ethical and legal implications alongside artists and major record labels. In the past, the practice of using artists’ voices without their consent for generative AI, likened to plagiarism, has come under fire by labels and lawmakers, alike.In a blog post Thursday, YouTube executives
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