The blogger used ChatGPT to rap about cats and another AI tool to generate Eminem’s voice. The track has now been removed from YouTube due to a copyright complaint filed by a major record label.
AI voice synthesis technologies are becoming more and more popular, and many enthusiasts are resorting to their use when creating music tracks. Recently, an American band added the voice of rapper Jay-Z to their song with the help of an AI tool, and YouTube blogger Grandayy created a parody track about cats, in which Eminem’s artificial voice sounds.
Right now, one way to curb artificial intelligence is through copyright law. Its action is perfectly illustrated in the situation when the major record label Universal Music Publishing Group complained about the track Grandayy with Eminem’s voice, after which it was removed from YouTube.
Universal Music Group decided best that I have an AI Eminem Cat Rap video. Usually they have deep claim and move videos like this, but really wanted AI Eminem to stick around for a while. pic.twitter.com/2ky4AYOf8U
— Dr Grandayy (@grandayy) April 2, 2023
Last Week Tonight host John Oliver premiered the track’s video on his show last month in a special II-themed segment.
“I think this was an extreme reaction, especially considering the fact that they didn’t just block the video, they also sent a DAC takedown notice, which resulted in my YouTube channel getting a strike.” Grandayy said.
The blogger says AI laws are “still ambiguous,” so it’s hard to say legally “whether a platform has the right to block such content at all.”
“Despite this, I still don’t think it’s right to remove my video and issue a warning to my channel, given that the video was a satirical parody and was clearly labeled as AI-generated content (both in the title and the video),” he added. Grandayy.
Indeed, for creators on YouTube, copyright complaints are serious: receiving three strikes results in a complete ban of the channel and removal of all videos. Basically, claims are filed using the Content ID system, which does not block videos, but rather redirects ad revenue to the copyright holder, rather than the uploader.
Copyright law allows parody works if they are transformative (along with several other factors). And rap cats seem to completely imitate Eminem’s voice and style.
It is still unclear whether your own voice can be copyrighted. Several high-profile lawsuits have already been filed over ownership of the votes generated by AI. For example, a dubbing actress sued TikTok over the app’s use of her AI-generated voice, but the lawsuit has now been settled.
Some AI researchers believe that copyright law is the way forward in the debate between AI-generated art enthusiasts and artists. Most of the AI datasets used by ChatGPT and the Midjourney image generator are collected from the Internet and are copyright-free. Last year, the Recording Industry Association of America said that AI poses a threat to artists’ rights.
Grandayy, who primarily makes meme videos on YouTube, said he sees this as a sign that creating AI-generated parodies has become risky.
“On the one hand, I completely understand if copyright holders want to protect their art and remove the video. But my video and many others are just obvious fun transformative parodies that don’t harm the original art – or even benefit it,” says the blogger.
Source: Vice
