Technology

The Human Artistry Coalition (HAC), launched at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Texas in mid-March, says it now has more than 70 members worldwide. The coalition doesn’t oppose AI technology as such; it says its goal is to ensure that AI develops “in ways that strengthen the creative ecosystem while continuing to recognize the unique and irreplaceable role of human artistry in culture and the arts.”

Source: As AI booms, campaign defending ‘irreplaceable role of human artistry’ sees membership spike

Founded by Geraldo Ramos, Eddie Hsu, and Jardson Almeida, Moises says that its AI-powered app lets musicians separate their personal tracks into stems (individual voices or instruments), detect chords, shift tempo or pitch” without changing other musical parameters, and master their audio to add extra polish, among other features”. The company says that these AI tools are “building blocks that complement nearly every phase of the creative process.”

Source: After rasing $10.25m, AI music making app Moises reaches 30m registered users

Runway, which plans to open its service to a small group of testers this week, is one of several companies building artificial intelligence technology that will soon let people generate videos simply by typing several words into a box on a computer screen. The new video-generation systems could speed the work of moviemakers and other digital artists, while becoming a new and quick way to create hard-to-detect online misinformation, making it even harder to tell what’s real on the internet.

Source: Instant Videos Could Represent the Next Leap in A.I. Technology

Midjourney, the company behind the eponymous popular text-to-image AI image generator, has shut off access to its free trial version following a rise in viral deep fakes generated by its technology. “Due to a combination of extraordinary demand and trial abuse we are temporarily disabling free trials until we have our next improvements to the system deployed,” Midjourney founder David Holz wrote on the company’s Discord server earlier this week.

Source: Midjourney Kills Free AI Image Generator Access After Explosion of Deep Fakes – Decrypt

AllttA, a music band, has conducted a unique AI-generated experiment in which American rapper and songwriter Mr. J. Medeiros wrote the lyrics for their latest release “Savages”, while his teammate Sylvain Richard created a beat that included an AI filter to synthesize the voice of Jay-Z into the song. This innovative use of AI technology has generated significant buzz, showcasing the potential for AI to revolutionize the music industry and produce new forms of creative expression.

Source: This Track Sung in Jay-Z’s Voice By AI Shows How Far the Artificial Intelligence Has Come

Technological developments like the stellar rise of ChatGPT played a role in disrupting the AI Act’s discussions, as EU lawmakers scrambled to decide how to deal with a technology that is moving at a neck-breaking speed and is not covered in the original proposal. This is perhaps the most significant political issue still open. A potential compromise discussed last week was to put stricter obligations on foundation models like ChatGPT, notably with strict risk and quality management requirements and external audits.

Source: AI Act: European Parliament headed for key committee vote at end of April

Artificial intelligence is now a mainstream topic but while most people focus on the positives, the music industry is concerned about potential threats. In IFPI’s latest Global Music Report, insiders stress that music’s ‘human’ element should stay at the forefront. According to Sony, the same applies to AI-synthesized voices, which should not replace human vocals.

Source: Sony Music Has Serious Concerns About AI-Synthesized Vocals * TorrentFreak

Walt Disney Co. has eliminated its next-generation storytelling and consumer-experiences unit, the small division that was developing metaverse strategies, as part of a broader restructuring that is expected to reduce head count by around 7,000 across the company over the next two months. Headed by Mike White, a former Disney consumer-products executive, the division was tasked with finding ways to tell interactive stories in new technological formats using Disney’s extensive library of intellectual property.

Source: WSJ News Exclusive | Disney Eliminates Its Metaverse Division as Part of Company’s Layoffs Plan

Concert season is in full swing, but a new villain is hurting the experience for many: superfans seeking five minutes of social-media fame.  Homemade signs, screaming teenagers and bouncing beach balls aren’t new to concerts. What has changed is that, largely thanks to TikTok, any moment of a concert can go viral. More fans are trying to force that moment to happen with wild shenanigans, annoying noises or demands on artists to play unusual songs.

Source: Why People Are Getting More Disruptive at Concerts

The Writers Guild of America has proposed allowing ChatGPT to help write scripts, provided writers don’t lose out on credit or residuals. The guild had previously indicated that it would propose regulating the use of AI in the writing process, which has recently surfaced as a concern for writers who fear losing out on jobs. But contrary to some expectations, the guild is not proposing an outright ban on the use of AI technology.

Source: WGA Would Allow Artificial Intelligence in Scriptwriting, as Long as Writers Maintain Credit