​​Red Flags to Watch Out for in AI Audio Generators
January 11, 2025

​​Red Flags to Watch Out for in AI Audio Generators

I use AI audio generators to spark inspiration or even create entire compositions, but I’ve learned that they come with hidden pitfalls.

1

General conclusion

One of the biggest red flags when using artificial intelligence to create music is the risk of creating formulaic tracks. While AI tools can create music in a variety of genres and styles, the result is often missing the human elements that make music feel fresh and innovative. These generators typically rely on pre-existing templates, established musical patterns, or a sample library. As a result, the music they produce often sounds formulaic and lacks personality.

If you use an AI tool to create a commercial song, the resulting track may sound similar to other songs in the genre without your unique voice or signature style to make it memorable and unique. As technology improves, AI will begin to create more complex and innovative music. However, it most likely still lacks soul, spontaneity and the spark of true artistic expression.

If most of your music is created by artificial intelligence generators, adding a human element can make it sound much more compelling and original. This element can be as dominant as a vocal track or as subtle as a percussion instrument played by hand. Additional audio and MIDI tracks can be added using free online audio editor or digital audio workstation.

Jack Mitchell/MakeUseOf

With the increasing use of AI-generated music, there are growing concerns about copyright and intellectual property. AI music generators are trained to imitate existing songs, patterns, melodies and rhythms that can be gleaned from copyrighted materials. This raises important legal and ethical questions about ownership and fair use.

A prime example of this problem occurred in 2023 with the music of Canadian artists The Weeknd and Drake after Songs have appeared online that reproduce their voices, created by artificial intelligence.. These songs were created using artificial intelligence models based on the existing works of the artists and raised alarms about copyright infringement and unauthorized use of their images and sound. This, in turn, has sparked debate over whether AI-generated music should be considered original, given that it is based on existing copyrighted material.

If you publish AI-generated music, it may be strikingly similar to copyrighted works. While AI doesn’t “copy” in the traditional sense, it can adapt elements of existing music in ways that could lead to legal complications. Therefore, you must be careful with your data sources and ensure that the music you create using AI does not violate copyright laws to avoid lawsuits or financial penalties.

3

Quality problems

Jack Mitchell/MakeUseOf

Another significant disadvantage of AI-generated music is that it often lacks the emotional depth, complexity, nuance and musicality of traditionally produced music. While AI can quickly generate melodies, rhythms and chord progressions, it struggles to replicate the subtleties that make music resonate with the listener.

As a musician, I have spent my life surrounded by artists who put hard work and personal experience into their music. Whether it’s emotionally charged vocals, a complex chord progression, or an intricate song arrangement, human creativity brings a richness to music that AI can’t easily replicate.

An AI audio generator can create a memorable melody, but it usually lacks the meaning or emotional expression that comes from the mind of a human composer. The subtleties of rhythm, phrasing and improvisation—key components of what makes music truly compelling—are often too complex for AI to understand. Therefore, it is important to remember the limitations of AI when using it to create music.

4

Morally gray areas

Even if an AI-generated song sounds amazing, there are moral and emotional aspects to consider. For many musicians, creating music is a journey from a spark of inspiration to a finished track. While AI can create a technically perfect song, it lacks the personal input of creating something from scratch.

Moreover, using artificial intelligence to create music may raise ethical questions about artistic integrity. Relying on a machine to create something is essentially cheating, or at least a workaround. You can’t claim that a project is a genuine form of artistic expression if an algorithm has done most of the heavy lifting.

If music production shifts too much toward automation, it could reduce appreciation for the musicians who spend years honing their craft and creating original works. While AI audio generators offer amazing opportunities for music creation, too much reliance on AI will ultimately lead to undermine the essence of what makes music meaningful.

These important red flags regarding the use of AI audio generators should not be overlooked. As technology continues to evolve, musicians, producers and consumers must be mindful of the challenges and weigh the advantages and disadvantages for the benefit of the industry as a whole.

2025-01-10 12:00:15

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