Grimes has unveiled an AI voice software program, Elf.Tech. The beta software program invitations you to report or add vocals for regurgitation in Grimes’ personal voice, using related know-how to Holly Herndon’s Holly+. Artists can commercially launch the leads to change for half of any master-recording royalties. Grimes introduced a pair of recent songs, “Music for Machines” and “I Wanna Be Software program,” in tandem with the launch, although their launch date has not been set.
In a Twitter thread concerning the software program, Grimes requested customers to “be tasteful” however mentioned she would solely block excessive makes use of, resembling an AI Grimes “Nazi anthem” (“until it’s in some way in jest a la The Producers I suppose”). “Child homicide songs” are additionally off the menu.
By way of Elf.Tech, Grimes has additionally shared a demo of her collaborative remake of Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman observe “Passage (Out).” Discover it within the “Bounces” folder on the web site. You too can entry stems to coach your personal Grimes AI. The challenge is powered by the generative AI Triniti.
Holly Herndon, who has led conversations round AI in music, wrote of Holly+ in 2021, “Vocal deepfakes are right here to remain. A steadiness must be discovered between defending artists, and inspiring folks to experiment with a brand new and thrilling know-how.” She framed the challenge as a type of “communal voice possession,” including that her crew and the AI firm By no means Earlier than Heard Sounds had “discovered a solution to enable folks to carry out via my voice, scale back confusion by establishing official approval, and invite everybody to learn from the proceeds generated from its use.” In 2022, Herndon and her associate, Mat Dryhurst, launched Spawning, a company “constructing instruments for artist possession of their coaching information.” Their first challenge, haveibeentrained.com, debuted that September.
Grimes’ final launch, in early 2022, was “Shinigami Eyes,” initially billed because the lead observe of an EP referred to as Fairies Cum First, which has not arrived. That was her second and final single for Columbia, with whom she signed in 2021. (That yr, she additionally debuted a tune referred to as “100% Tragedy” throughout a DJ set within the digital actuality competition Splendour XR. “This tune is about having to defeat azealia banks when she tried to destroy my life,” she mentioned on the competition’s Discord.) Final month, Grimes and Columbia parted methods.
Grimes launched her fifth album, Miss Anthropocene, in 2020, which she adopted with a remix LP. Since then, she has written an AI lullaby, made a tacky look on The Eric Andre Present, bought her soul as efficiency artwork, and had her first baby.
Songwriting on the Daybreak of AI: When Machines Can Write, Who Is the Artist?