Will.I.Am launches AI-driven radio

Will.i.am has launched a brand new AI-led interactive radio platform.

• READ MORE: Past human creativeness: How AI is pushing the boundaries of leisure

The Black Eyed Peas frontman has introduced ‘RAiDiO.FYI’, a brand new radio service that options AI presenters. The service goals to “reimagine radio the best way the iPhone did for the phone,” — in line with the official website.

It comes a 12 months after Spotify launched its AI DJ, which recognises your listening habits and suggests new songs for you utilizing synthetic intelligence. Nevertheless, RAiDiO.FYI differs from Spotify’s providing in that it permits two-way communication — customers can press a button to talk with the AI persona at any second.

The platform’s AI-driven hosts will work together instantly with listeners, encouraging them to ask questions in regards to the music or the historical past of a track or focus on information, sports activities, tradition and style. Listeners immediately turn out to be “energetic members, selecting subjects, asking questions, and speaking with AI personas.”

Take a look at a video of Will.i.am demonstrating the know-how under.

https://t.co/YQ7hbBNE2o joined #TheBreakfastClub to introduce a brand new radio expertise that makes use of AI to boost the radio expertise for the hosts and DJs.

If you happen to might lower your analysis time, would you do it? Pay attention in to listen to extra about https://t.co/aQmYijNDwJ! @iamwill… pic.twitter.com/PCRbjEZn5W

— Energy 105.1 (@Power1051) August 21, 2024

Final 12 months, Will.i.am used an look Sirius XM to share his ideas on whether or not or not AI is benefitting the music business. In response, the Grammy Award-winning polymath mentioned: “All of us have voices, and everybody’s compromised as a result of there are not any rights or possession to your facial math or your voice frequency.”

He defined his cynicism, including: “You’re getting a FaceTime or a Zoom name and since there’s no intelligence on the decision, there’s nothing to authenticate an AI name or an individual name.”

He continued: “That’s the pressing factor, defending our facial math. I'm my face math. I don’t personal that. I personal the rights to ‘I Acquired A Feeling’, I personal the rights to the songs I wrote, however I don’t personal the rights to my face or my voice?”

The information comes at a time when AI’s function within the music business is more and more up for debate. Earlier this month, Ok-pop leisure large SM Leisure introduced the upcoming debut of its first AI-generated singer, named nævis.

Earlier this 12 months, over 200 artists together with Billie Eilish, Robert Smith, Stevie Marvel and Nicki Minaj signed an open letter put collectively by the Artists Rights Alliance, warning in opposition to the “predatory” use of AI in music.

Many hip-hop legends have additionally chimed in on the AI music debate. Producer Timbaland previewed an AI-generated Infamous B.I.G verse and is engaged on AI software program to commercialise the phenomenon. Whereas, Snoop Dogg mentioned AI music has bought “outta hand” with regard to a Michael Jackson AI cowl of C-Homicide‘s ‘Down With My N’s’.

Lately, Sting mentioned AI “doesn’t impress” him and that songwriters should defend “our human capital in opposition to AI.”  Whereas, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan mentioned “AI will change music eternally” since others can “recreation the system” and “not going to spend 10,000 hours in a basement.”

Peter Hook has additionally taken purpose at songs written with the assistance of AI, saying that every one created has at all times been “shit”.

One of the vital prolific cases of an artist talking out, nevertheless, got here from Unhealthy Seeds frontman Nick Cave, who described the idea as “a grotesque mockery of what it's to be human”. He later added that he wished AI platforms like ChatGPT to “fuck off and depart songwriting alone”.

Equally, Weapons N’ Roses members Slash and Duff McKagan additionally weighed in on the talk, with the previous saying that the usage of the know-how “does not likely thrill me” and the latter telling NME that he had no plans to let AI “have an effect on my creativity”.

Former Oasis members additionally spoke out after a UK band used AI to think about what the Britpop icons may sound like in the event that they had been to reform and launch a brand new album.

On the time, Liam hailed what he’d heard of the album, writing: “It’s higher than all the opposite snizzle on the market,” whereas Noel Gallagher instructed NME throughout an interview: “These fucking idiots have clearly bought an excessive amount of time on their palms and an excessive amount of cash that they'll afford the know-how to fucking piss round doing that for amusing.”

Grimes has been notably vocal about her help for evolving music know-how, together with AI. Final 12 months, she gave followers her blessing to make use of her voice to create new music utilizing AI so long as she will get half of any royalties comprised of the tracks, as she would with any artist she works with.

In different Will.i.am information, he just lately revealed that U2 had been the inspiration behind Black Eyed Peas‘ hit track ‘I Gotta Feeling’, with the musician saying he “wrote the refrain for them”.