Renowned Grammy Award-winning singer includes A.I. stipulation in will: ‘Voice cannot be utilized
Pop singer Meghan Trainor has included a clause in her will to prevent the use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to replicate her voice posthumously. The Grammy Award-winning artist, aged 30, expressed concerns about the technology, stating it ”scared” her during an interview. Trainor highlighted worries about potential misuse of A.I. to manipulate recordings, joining other musicians in denouncing its inappropriate use.
Pop singer Meghan Trainor added a clause into her will which would prohibit anyone utilizing artificial intelligence (A.I.) to recreate her voice after her death.
The 30-year-old Grammy Award-winner expressed trepidation about the emerging technology, saying it “scared” her.
“Sometimes I love it, sometimes I’m scared,” Trainor told Fox News during a red carpet interview at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. “I don’t know a lot about it.”
“I’m like, ‘Wait, they can make me say and sing things that I didn’t do?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah.’ That’s spooky,” she continued. “So, it is in my will now; you can’t use my voice.”
A.I. usage in the music industry has been a hot topic of conversation lately. Earlier in April, more than 200 prominent recording artists, including Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, and others, signed an open letter denouncing its usage.
The letter urged music industry leaders to “cease the use of artificial intelligence to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists,” warning against deepfakes and cloning specifically.
“Unchecked, AI will set in motion a race to the bottom that will degrade the value of our work and prevent us from being fairly compensated for it,” the letter said in part. “We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.”
In March, Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee signed the ELVIS Act (Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act), which protects artists from the unauthorized use of their voice, name, image, and likeness.
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The new law allows artists and license holders to sue for damages when it is violated.
On the other end of the spectrum, some artists are using A.I. to their advantage. In December, the band KISS played their last live show but promised they’d return as digital avatars.
“We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before,” KISS bassist Gene Simmons said. “The technology is going to make Paul (Stanley) jump higher than he’s ever done before.”
There are also digital concerts featuring ABBA, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles currently touring or in development.
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