As the music industry continues to grapple with the popularity and advancement of artificial intelligence, many are trying to figure out how to ethically incorporate AI into their work. When musical titan Paul McCartney announced in the middle of the month (June 13) that he would be using AI to finish a new Beatles song, the news sparked strong reactions from both sides of the AI debate.
In a tweet on Thursday (June 22), Paul McCartney clarified his comments. "Not much I can say at this stage, but to be clear, nothing has been created artificially or synthetically" the 18-time Grammy Award winner wrote. “Everything is real and we all play. We cleaned up some existing recordings, a process that has taken years". "No one is more excited than we are to share something with you later in the year" McCartney added in his tweet. "We hope you like it as much as we do".
As explained in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today show, the AI would be used to separate vocals from background noise and instruments, not to create new material. McCartney said during the conversation that he had been using AI to "pull" his late bandmate John Lennon's voice from an old recording to use on the new song. Touted by Sir Paul as "the last Beatles recording", the BBC surmised that the project could be a recording of "Now and Then", a somber love song written by Lennon in 1978.
Below, McCartney's tweet with his comments on the AI.
Been great to see such an exciting response to our forthcoming Beatles project. No one is more excited than us to be sharing something with you later in the year.
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) June 22, 2023
We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it. Seems to be a lot of guess work out there. Can’t say too much…
