The animated film KPop Demon Hunters is a significant success for Netflix. It’s contagious, to rephrase one of the movie’s key characters. The film has turned into a cultural sensation in just a few months, and it’s not solely the plot or the animation that keeps viewers hooked. The soundtrack of KPop Demon Hunters is the key element that’s prompting fans globally to rewatch it, sing along, or enjoy the catchy tunes repeatedly. Soda Pop is among those infectious tracks, surely a summer hit, which you may have noticed playing everywhere recently.
As it stands, KPop Demon Hunters is experiencing a contentious moment at the time of writing regarding Soda Pop and ChatGPT. You may have come across online articles about Vince, one of the co-writers of Soda Pop, claiming he utilized ChatGPT to assist in generating ideas for the song. According to Gizmodo, it seems the true intent was misinterpreted during translation, as the songwriter’s comments were taken out of context.
What’s the link between ChatGPT and Soda Pop?
All this transpired during OpenAI’s inauguration of their Korean office, an event that included various attendees, such as Vince, one of the five writers accredited by Netflix for Soda Pop. An OpenAI official shared a message in a now-removed tweet that Reddit preserved: “Fav moment from the launch celebration was hearing singer/songwriter Vince share that ChatGPT helped him write Soda Pop from KPop Demon Hunters! It allegedly provided him with ideas to make it sound ‘more bubbly.'”
As reported by Gizmodo, an English version of a report in Joongang Daily published on Monday suggested that Vince used ChatGPT for conceptualizing Soda Pop. However, the Korean version of the piece indicates that Vince made a broader comment regarding the use of ChatGPT in K-Pop music production. “I sometimes use ChatGPT to get some inspiration while producing K-Pop,” Vince noted, according to a Gizmodo translation. The machine translation of the Korean version of the Joongang Daily article also conveys a similar outcome.
Joongang Daily rectified the English version of the article on Wednesday, eliminating the reference to Vince using AI to create Soda Pop. Since the tweet that ignited this KPop Demon Hunters AI controversy was also taken down, it appears that everything was a significant misunderstanding resulting from language discrepancies. Ironically, it may have been AI that failed to correctly translate the original article into English, as disclosed in a note at the conclusion of the amended story. The note states that the original Korean article was translated by a bilingual reporter with the assistance of generative AI tools prior to being evaluated by an English-speaking editor.
KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack is an enormous triumph
Notwithstanding the corrections, some harm may have been inflicted, as the news of Vince employing ChatGPT to write Soda Pop for KPop Demon Hunters may have circulated prior to the corrections. Some fans could have misinterpreted how certain music for the animated film was created. Netflix and Vince have not yet provided a statement on the issue.
Regardless of whether Vince utilized AI, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack is a tremendous success. Soda Pop stands out as one of the breakout hits of KPop Demon Hunters. Performed by the fictional Saja Boys band, the song climbed onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, reaching No. 5, and hit No. 3 on the Global 200 chart. KPop Demon Hunters is officially the most popular film on Netflix as of late August. The film surpassed 266 million views by early September, establishing itself as the streaming platform’s most-watched title to date. Previously, the first season of Squid Game held that position.
Regarding Netflix’s use of AI in its original content, the streamer has already acknowledged utilizing an undisclosed generative AI tool to create special effects for one of its TV shows. This disclosure came well after the show’s rise to fame. Since then, the streamer has published a detailed guide for studios exploring the use of AI in producing Netflix originals.
