Will AI Be A Threat To Musicians And Singers? Shankar Mahadevan Answers
Shankar Mahadevan has marked a transformative moment in the music industry by using artificial intelligence (AI) to create a new track titled, Rubaroo. The composition process was showcased virtually at Google's annual I/O developer conference in California, USA.
'We were able to merge a beautiful Sufi melody with a contemporary track. For a musician, it's such an inspiring tool," said the 58-year-old artist, who composed the song in his Mumbai studio using Sandbox, a platform developed in collaboration with YouTube and Google Lab. Watch it here:
While embracing AI in his creative process, the Grammy-winning musician emphasised the difference between support and substitution. 'AI is enhancing technology right now. We should not assume it can replace humans. There's a fear that AI will replace musicians and singers, but there's nothing to worry about. Human intelligence, when combined with AI, can achieve wonders. We just need to use it to our best advantage and responsibly," the Noor E Khuda singer said.
Shankar mentioned that he views AI as more of a 'friend and personal assistant" rather than a standalone creator, noting that it acts as a springboard for musical ideas. He clarified, 'It offers suggestions, like a line or a tune, which the artist can then build upon. Some suggestions are phenomenal and out of this world, while others are very amateurish and basic. The final decision must be made by a human. At the core, you need to be a good musician to use AI to your advantage."
Reflecting on how technology has influenced music through the decades, he remarked, 'Fifty years ago, when synthesizers were introduced or when programming software became prevalent, musicians had the same fear. But we have remained irreplaceable."
He added that AI integration is already happening across various industries, including music. 'It is already being used in every field. We have started utilizing it in our work. It's just a tool. Fifty years ago, when synthesizers were introduced, musicians worried about what would happen to them, but we realized no one can replace live musicians. The same fear occurred with programming software, but nothing happened," he concluded.
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