TikTok is using AI to increase its already significant influence in the music world. The ByteDance-owned platform has launched AI Song, a tool that writes music and lyrics based on user suggestions.
AI Song is currently available to a limited number of users. TikTok told TechCrunch that the new feature is powered by Bloom, a large language model that informs AI Song’s lyrical decisions. The tool pairs those words with music it pulls from a preexisting audio library. At launch, AI Song can deliver tunes across three genres: Pop, hip-hop, and EDM.
A TikTok spokesperson told The Verge that AI Song is still in the testing phase, and since it doesn’t actually write music itself, it could get a new name soon. “It’s not technically an AI song generator,” the spokesperson said. “Any music used is from a pre-saved catalog created within the business.”
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Jonah Manzano, who received early access to AI Song, shared his experience with the tool in a video he uploaded to his personal account. He noted that the AI Song experience includes two options: Users can offer their own suggestions for the bot or can choose from a list of prompts.
AI Song exists for fun, and the tool’s mish-mashed, out-of-tune creations fall a bit short of the typical Top 40 hit. But as long as AI Obama can rake in millions of hits by singing “Let It Go,” enterprising users will try to get the most out of AI Song.
@ai.emporium What should AI Obama sing next? #aipresidents #aicover #aicovers #aicoversongs #disney ♬ original sound – AI Emporium
ByteDance has made big moves in the world of machine learning by launching an in-house AI development platform. The Beijing-based TikTok parent is not the only company with that idea. YouTube wants to inspire creators to think up their Dream Tracks, and ChatGPT owner OpenAI is looking to expand monetization with a public GPT Store.
For TikTok, the decision to embrace AI could create new opportunities in the music business. The app is waiting to launch its standalone TikTok Music service in the United States, but it will make a splash at Super Bowl LVIII with a pre-game concert headlined by Gwen Stefani. Perhaps that event will also include some details about AI Song — or whatever the tool happens to be called at that moment.
