YouTube is testing a new AI music generator called Dream Track in YouTube Shorts. Dream Track — developed by YouTube alongside Google’s DeepMind — can create original 30-second snippets of songs that sound like selected singers.
According to Variety, nine artists have agreed to participate in the Dream Track experiment: Alec Benjamin, Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Papoose, Sia, T-Pain, and Troye Sivan. Variety reports, “Here’s how it works: A user types an idea into the creation prompt and selects a participating artist, then voilà — it produces an original song snippet up to 30 seconds in length featuring the AI-generated voice of that artist.”
“The development of AI technology is rapidly changing the way we navigate the landscape, and I believe as artists we need to be a part of shaping what that future looks like,” Lovato said in a statement. “My career has been about pushing boundaries… and creating the most interesting music for my fans. I am open minded and hopeful that this experiment with Google and YouTube will be a positive and enlightening experience.”
The Dream Track Experiment's Goal Is to Form “Deeper Connections” Between Artists and Fans
According to YouTube, Lyria — Google DeepMind's “most advanced music-generation model to date” — powers Dream Track. “At this initial phase, the experiment is designed to help explore how the technology could be used to create deeper connections between artists and creators, and ultimately, their fans,” YouTube head of music Lyor Cohen and Toni Reid, VP of emerging experiences and community products, wrote in a blog post.
In a statement posted by YouTube, Puth said: “I’m extremely excited and inspired… YouTube has been a great partner in outlining their approach to AI and understands the need to work together to develop this technology responsibly, ensuring it will accelerate creativity instead of replacing it.”
T-Pain reportedly said, “I have always been about pushing the boundaries of technology and harnessing it to make the most interesting music for my fans. Who knows what the future holds but joining hands with YouTube and Google to help shape that future feels like a great first step.”
UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge commented in a statement about the need to protect artists. “We have a fundamental responsibility to our artists to ensure the digital ecosystem evolves to protect them and their work against unauthorized exploitation, including by generative AI platforms. At the same time, we must help artists achieve their greatest creative and commercial potential — in part by providing them access to the kind of opportunities and cutting-edge creative tools made possible by AI.”
The YouTube videos below contain samples of what Dream Track can do.