Disgusting AI Music App

Anthony Fantano, known as the internet's busiest music nerd, discusses the controversial AI music app called Udio. He expresses concerns about AI-generated music, accusing it of being a form of plagiarism where the technology recreates existing works without proper attribution. Fantano criticizes Udio for allowing users to generate music that closely resembles copyrighted songs by using specific text prompts. He highlights instances where the AI has produced music that sounds identical to tracks by artists like Blad and Young Lean. Fantano also mentions that Udio has removed some of the user-generated tracks that were too similar to popular artists' works and has disabled the manual mode that allowed such specific prompts. He calls for legal action against such predatory practices and urges for laws to prevent the devaluation of music due to AI's misuse.

Takeaways

• 🎵 The AI music app 'udio' is criticized for generating music that closely resembles existing works, raising concerns about plagiarism.
• 🤖 AI's role in music creation is not entirely condemned, but its current application in 'udio' is seen as exploiting the creative process.
• 🚫 Anthony Fantano expresses concern that AI is being used to profit off of slightly altered versions of existing music without compensating original artists.
• 🎶 The app allows users to generate music by providing text prompts, which has led to AI-produced songs that sound eerily similar to copyrighted material.
• 📉 Fantano argues that this practice diminishes the value of original music and could lead to a devaluation of the music industry as a whole.
• 💡 The process of AI training involves feeding it examples to understand and recreate, which in 'udio' seems to result in copies of existing music.
• 🔍 Users have discovered that inputting specific descriptive tags results in AI-generated music that closely imitates particular artists' works.
• 🚫 'udio' has since removed the manual mode that allowed such specific tagging, and many user-generated tracks resembling popular artists have been deleted.
• 🤔 Fantano questions the legality and ethics of 'udio', suggesting that if artists can be sued for using elements of music, 'udio' should be held to the same standard.
• 📚 There is a call for Congress to establish laws that address the issue of AI-generated music that plagiarizes existing works.
• 📉 Allowing AI to continue generating music in this manner without repercussions could further devalue the music industry, according to Fantano.

Q & A

What is Anthony Fantano's main concern about AI music creation?

Anthony Fantano's main concern is that AI music creation often borders on plagiarism, as it allows for the replication of existing artists' work without direct sampling or covering, potentially leading to unauthorized use of original compositions.

What is the AI music creation app 'udio' criticized for in the video?

The 'udio' app is criticized for promoting itself as a tool for creating unique music based on user prompts, but instead, it often generates music that is eerily similar to existing copyrighted music, effectively leading to indirect plagiarism.

How does the AI in the 'udio' app allegedly replicate existing music?

The AI in the 'udio' app is trained with numerous examples of existing music, which it then uses to generate slightly altered versions of these works based on user prompts, leading to outputs that closely resemble original artists' songs.

What specific examples of AI-generated music sounding similar to known songs are mentioned?

Examples include AI-generated music that sounds like the song 'House of the Rising Sun' and others that mimic the voices and styles of artists like Blad, Young Lean, and Future.

What action did 'udio' reportedly take in response to criticisms?

'udio' reportedly removed several user-generated tracks that sounded too similar to popular artists' works from their platform and disabled a feature that allowed for highly specific music prompts.

What does Anthony Fantano suggest should be done about AI music apps like 'udio'?

Fantano calls for regulatory actions, suggesting that there should be laws to prevent AI music apps from plagiarizing existing works, emphasizing that this practice undermines the value of original music.

Why does Fantano find it absurd that people use 'udio' for creating Irish folk music?

Fantano finds it absurd because authentic Irish folk music is abundantly available on streaming platforms, and using 'udio' to create similar music bypasses supporting real artists who produce and rely on revenues from their music.

What does Fantano mean by AI training being 'plagiarism with extra steps'?

Fantano argues that training AI with other artists' songs to produce similar music is essentially a sophisticated form of plagiarism, as it copies and slightly alters existing works without proper authorization or credit.

What implications does AI music generation have for the music industry, according to the video?

According to the video, AI music generation could lead to a devaluation of music as an art form, as it enables the mass production of derivative works that may diminish the perceived value and uniqueness of original compositions.

What is Anthony Fantano's overall opinion of the 'udio' app?

Anthony Fantano has a highly negative view of the 'udio' app, describing it as 'garbage' and 'disgusting' due to its role in promoting and facilitating what he considers to be a form of music plagiarism.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Critique of AI-Generated Music and Udio App

Anthony Fantano, the 'internet's busiest music nerd,' discusses his concerns with AI music, specifically the Udio app. He argues that AI music is often just a form of plagiarism, where AI is used to recreate existing works without proper attribution. He criticizes Udio for allowing users to generate music that closely resembles copyrighted songs by using text prompts. Fantano also mentions that Udio has faced backlash for these practices, leading to the removal of certain user-generated tracks and the disabling of the detailed tagging feature that facilitated such creations.

05:02

🚫 Udio's Plagiarism and Legal Implications

The second paragraph delves into specific examples where Udio's AI has generated music that is strikingly similar to tracks by artists like Blad and Young Lean. Fantano emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident and that Udio's actions are predatory and gross. He calls for legal action against the platform and urges Congress to establish laws to prevent such misuse of AI technology. Fantano concludes by stressing the importance of addressing this issue to preserve the value of music and the integrity of the music industry.

Keywords

💡AI Music

AI Music refers to the use of artificial intelligence to create music. In the video, Anthony Fantano criticizes AI music for its potential to facilitate plagiarism by generating music that closely resembles existing works without directly sampling them. This is seen as problematic because it allows users to profit from music that sounds like it was created by a specific artist without compensating the original artist.

💡Udio

Udio is an AI Music Creation website and app that has been criticized in the video for its ability to generate music that sounds strikingly similar to existing songs by popular artists. The app is accused of allowing users to input specific prompts and receive music that could be considered plagiarized versions of other artists' works.

💡Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person's work or ideas without giving proper credit. In the context of the video, it is suggested that AI music apps like Udio are enabling a form of plagiarism by generating music that is nearly identical to existing songs, thus undermining the original creators' rights and efforts.

💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the video, Fantano expresses concern that AI is being misused in the music industry to create music that copies the style and sound of established artists without their consent.

💡Text Prompting

Text prompting is a feature in AI music apps where users input descriptive text or tags to guide the AI in generating a specific style or genre of music. The video discusses how Udio uses text prompting to create music, but raises ethical concerns about the resulting music being too similar to existing copyrighted works.

💡Unsustainable Practices

Unsustainable practices refer to actions or methods that cannot be maintained or are not reasonable for the long-term. In the video, the use of AI to generate music that mimics existing works is labeled as unsustainable because it devalues original music creation and could lead to a decline in the overall quality and value of music.

💡Copyright

Copyright is a legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution. The video discusses how AI-generated music that closely resembles copyrighted material could infringe on these rights, leading to legal and ethical issues.

💡Music Streaming

Music streaming refers to the practice of listening to music online, often through subscription-based services. The video mentions music streaming websites as a place where original, instrumental music can be found, contrasting this with the use of AI apps to generate similar-sounding music without supporting the original artists.

💡Artistic Integrity

Artistic integrity refers to the quality of being original and authentic in artistic creation. The video argues that AI music apps like Udio compromise artistic integrity by creating music that is derivative of existing works, thus undermining the value of original music.

💡Legal Consequences

Legal consequences are the outcomes or punishments that result from breaking the law. The video suggests that there should be legal consequences for AI music apps that generate music that is too similar to existing copyrighted works, as this could be seen as a form of copyright infringement.

💡Creative Process

The creative process is the series of steps taken to transform an idea into a tangible form. In the context of the video, the creative process is being impacted by AI, which can generate music based on examples it has been 'fed'. The concern is that this process may lead to a loss of originality and authenticity in music creation.

Highlights

AI music is criticized for its potential to facilitate plagiarism by generating music that closely resembles existing works without directly sampling them.

Anthony Fantano discusses the controversial AI Music Creation app, udio, which has been accused of producing music that is eerily similar to copyrighted songs.

The app udio is advertised as allowing users to generate music in their favorite styles through text prompts.

Fantano questions the ethics of using AI to generate music that feels like it's taken from other artists without proper attribution or compensation.

The process of AI training in music generation involves feeding the AI examples to understand and recreate, which Fantano finds problematic.

Users have discovered that inputting specific descriptive tags into udio results in music that is strikingly similar to tracks by known artists.

Fantano points out that instead of supporting original artists, udio allows users to profit from slightly altered versions of existing music.

The video discusses the 'uncanny valley' effect of AI-generated music that is close to real recordings but not quite authentic.

Udio has faced backlash for its AI-generated tracks that sound suspiciously like popular artists' works.

Some user-generated tracks on udio that were similar to popular songs have since been removed from the platform.

Fantano argues that udio should be held accountable for its actions, as it seems to be profiting from the works of others without proper legal or ethical considerations.

The video calls for legal and legislative action to prevent AI from being used as a tool for plagiarism in the music industry.

Fantano suggests that the value of music is being devalued by the ease with which AI can replicate and generate music that mimics existing compositions.

The video ends with a call to action for Congress to establish laws that address the issue of AI-generated music and plagiarism.

Fantano emphasizes the need to stop pretending that AI music generation is not a form of plagiarism and to recognize its impact on the music industry.

The video concludes with a strong opinion against the predatory nature of AI music apps like udio and their potential to harm the music industry.