TikTok is testing a new feature called “AI Song”, which uses artificial intelligence to create songs based on the instructions entered by users. According to The Verge, AI Song is an experimental feature and is currently only available to a select number of users.
AI Song generates songs from text messages with the help of the great linguistic model Bloom. Users can write the lyrics in the text field when making a post and then TikTok will recommend AI Song to add sounds to the post, allowing them to change the genre of the song.
“It is not technically an AI-based song generator; the name is likely to change and is currently in testing at the moment,” explained TikTok spokesperson Barney Hooper to The Verge. “The music used comes from a catalog created by the company itself. Essentially, it matches the lyrics with pre-saved music, based on three genres: pop, hip-hop, and EDM.”
Although AI Song is not yet available to everyone, some TikTok users have already started experimenting with it (with not very good results, it must be said). As The Verge highlights, many sing out of tune despite the availability of autotune. For example, a TikTok user named Jonah Manzano created a song in which he tries to make the word “comedy” have more syllables than necessary. Another user, Kristi Leilani, recreated a Britney Spears song, but with very out of tune voices.
However, TikTok itself states in its app that “there are rules that must be followed” when using AI Song. For example, the function cannot be used to exploit or harm minors, or to spread false information or personal information that harms others. It also cannot be used to defame, impersonate, or harass other people. As with any other test feature, it is unknown when AI Song will be extended to the rest of the users.
