“We need to stop being so fearful and complaining so much about what lies ahead,” remarks Brazilian artist Daniel Lopes regarding AI’s application. While Europe attempts to strike a balance between the rights of creators and the implementation of artificial intelligence, numerous artists are achieving more with the technology than merely crafting fake Studio Ghibli visuals that bear no resemblance to the originals.
On this occasion, Lopes demonstrated how AI can serve as an ideal artistic partner by fusing nature, creativity, and technology. In an Instagram Reels upload, the musician disclosed that he recorded the song of the Uirapurú, a Brazilian bird native to the Amazon Forest, and employed AI to compose music inspired by it.
Initially, AI struggled to capture the precise notes of the bird’s song, prompting Lopes to interpret the melody through his own piano performance. Subsequently, with a prompt that included “orchestral, modern, intellectual, elegant, piano,” he utilized AI to generate music rooted in the Brazilian bird’s melody.
“It’s a film score,” he states. “I believe we can explore numerous creative applications of AI. This is one such instance. In this scenario, the bird from the Amazon Forest is the composer of the song.”
Discussions regarding the attribution of songwriting and music rights in relation to AI persist. This is why European creators are advocating for a framework to safeguard their music while permitting AI to enhance the industry without appropriating others’ creations.
Interestingly, although Lopes produced something distinctive, he was not the first to draw inspiration from the Uirapurú’s song. In the previous century, Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist Heitor Villa-Lobos crafted a symphony derived from this bird’s melody.
Regardless, Daniel Lopes’ video stands as a compelling illustration of how AI can be employed inventively. Another instance is Peter Jackson’s endeavor of isolating John Lennon’s vocals from a demo, resulting in The Beatles’ concluding song, “Now and Then.” While my colleague Andy Meek argues that The Beatles didn’t merit a Grammy for this AI-assisted music, I perceive these as excellent demonstrations of how AI can assist artists, rather than supplant them.
