John Legend Calls for Regulation of AI-Generated Music after Drake and The Weeknd Duped Song Goes Viral

Grammy Award-winning singer and producer John Legend is urging for regulation on artificial intelligence (AI) in the music industry after a song featuring duped vocals of Drake and The Weeknd using AI tools went viral.

During The TIME100 Summit in New York City, Legend spoke about AI and called for some regulation on how it works. He believes that voices belong to their owners, and they should have control over how their voices are used.

The song in question used AI tools to dupe the vocals of the popular artists, who never collaborated on the song. The release of the song has stirred up discussions about how the technology should be responsibly used in the space.

Legend noted that AI technology cannot connect with audiences in the same way that artists can. While some creators, such as musician Grimes, have welcomed the use of AI-generated versions of their voice, Legend believes that no one should be able to make money off an artist’s voice without their permission and that no one should be using their voices to create content without their consent.

Stakeholders must decide which side of history they want to be on: artists and creative expression or deep fakes and denying artists their due compensation. Legend is hoping that regulatory bodies will catch up with the technology and do what is right to protect intellectual property and decision-making around how image and likeness are used.