The increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence in the creative sphere, specifically in music, has met a lot of criticism and backlash from people in the industry.
Artists have pointed out the immense decline in the art quality of pieces created through artificial intelligence. Deepfaking voices have been rampant in the past few months - where AI creators use the voices of artists in creating new music and or using it to sing other songs.
Ghostwriter, the person behind the controversial AI collaboration of The Weeknd and Drake "Heart On My Sleeve," has spoken to a music outlet for the first time since his name started making waves online.
Ghostwriter Explains Why They Released 'Heart On My Sleeve'
Speaking exclusively to Billboard, the Ghostwriter, and his manager, explained how they first thought of the idea, the notion that the song can be eligible for a Grammy nomination, and the future of using Artificial Intelligence in the music industry.
Asked about how the idea of creating "Heart On My Sleeve" dawned on them, the Ghostwriter's manager detailed the process of how the project came to fruition.
"We wanted to do something that could spark much-needed conversation and prep us so that we can start moving toward building an environment where this can exist in an ethical and equitable way," they elaborated.
For them, the idea of pushing forward a culture of artificial intelligence begins by first checking the demand and interest in the area. True enough, countless AI-generated deep fake voices emerged online, including "Glee" cast versions of newer songs, covers of songs made by other artists, and even cartoon characters singing Billboard chart-toppers.
"Heart On My Sleeve" was surely a show-stopper in the music industry as it had industry executives, professionals, and even The Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., thinking and setting up a roundtable discussion to debate its existence.
The Recording Academy even laid out the rules on how an AI-generated song can be eligible for a Grammy Award.
Can 'Heart On My Sleeve' Be Nominated for A Grammy Award?
Based on the new and revised Grammy Awards rules, the song can be eligible for nomination since Ghostwriter wrote the song. "Heart On My Sleeve" being performed by Drake and The Weeknd's voice is another issue.
Technically, since the song was created by a human and not AI, it can be submitted for songwriting categories. Meaning, it can be nominated for Song of the Year, which honors songwriters, but not Record of the Year, which honors producers and performers.
According to The New York Times, the song was submitted for Grammy consideration.
For Ghostwriter, it's not about getting nominated or winning - "this is about planting the seed, the idea that this is a creative tool for songwriters."
Ghostwriter also believes that the idea of pushing forward Artificial Intelligence in the music industry is "bigger" than him.
"It's the future of music. I want to push the needle forward, and if I get to play a significant part in that, then there's nothing cooler than that to me. I think that's enough for me," he said when asked why he doesn't want to reveal his identity and be treated as a pioneer.
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