The production is slick, the drums are on point, and the vocals sound great, but a titan of Newfoundland and Labrador害羞草研究所檚 music scene hears something off about 害羞草研究所淚t Could Be Worse害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淭ales of The Atlantic,害羞草研究所� two songs generated in less than a minute by a powerful algorithm.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a country singer, so that害羞草研究所檚 wrong. And the lyrics don害羞草研究所檛 really rhyme,害羞草研究所� said Bob Hallett, a founding member of Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea. 害羞草研究所淚t just sounds sort of strange.害羞草研究所�

Hallett had just finished listening to the rollicking tunes, which were created using a generative artificial intelligence tool called Suno using prompts that could describe any Great Big Sea jam: Celtic, folk, lively, passionate.

They didn害羞草研究所檛 hit the mark, Hallett said. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the band害羞草研究所檚 hit 害羞草研究所淥rdinary Day,害羞草研究所� he gave the songs a two.

But experts say that rating could increase quickly. Technology like Suno害羞草研究所檚 is advancing swiftly, and its output is only getting better, said Jimmy Lin, a professor and director at the University of Waterloo害羞草研究所檚 artificial intelligence institute.

Suno is one of several companies building generative artificial intelligence software that allows users to create original songs using text prompts. People can create instrumental tracks or songs with lyrics, which can be generated by the program or supplied by the user. But if the user offers copyrighted lyrics 害羞草研究所� the first lines of Nirvana害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淪mells Like Teen Spirit,害羞草研究所� for example 害羞草研究所� the program won害羞草研究所檛 make the song.

Suno also doesn害羞草研究所檛 make songs intended to sound like other artists害羞草研究所� work, such as 害羞草研究所淗eart on My Sleeve,害羞草研究所� the AI-generatedsong using unauthorized sound-alike vocals of Drake and the Weeknd which caused controversy in the music industry last year. When asked to make 害羞草研究所渁 Great Big Sea song about cod fishing,害羞草研究所� the resulting Suno tunes had a pensive, Celtic flair, but they sounded nothing like an authentic track by the band.

Google is working on similar software, called MusicFX, which can be sampled through its AI Test Kitchen site. And Adobe unveiled Project Music GenAI Control last month, which it described as an 害羞草研究所渆arly-stage generative AI music generation and editing tool.害羞草研究所�

In December, Microsoft introduced a Suno-powered song generator for its Copilot chatbot, which is a program that uses artificial intelligence to simulate conversation with users.

The technology behind these programs is similar to that powering the ChatGPT chatbot.

Lin said such programs use massive data sets to 害羞草研究所渢rain害羞草研究所� algorithms, or step-by-step processes, to take any starting point and predict what the next one will be. So while chatbots trained with text can predict the next word in a written answer, a music-generating program is trained using sound to predict the next 害羞草研究所渁coustic sequence,害羞草研究所� he said.

The New York Times sued Microsoft and ChatGPT owner OpenAI in December for using its stories to train programs.

Lin said companies behind AI platforms that make music could find themselves in similar trouble if they害羞草研究所檝e trained their algorithms with work by artists who haven害羞草研究所檛 given consent or received compensation for their music to be used that way.

害羞草研究所淚t is an unresolved question whether this is fair use or not,害羞草研究所� he said in an interview. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檒l sort itself out. The court always does.害羞草研究所�

Suno害羞草研究所檚 website does not indicate what data it used to build its program, and the company did not return a request for comment.

Hallett said he wouldn害羞草研究所檛 be surprised if the algorithms had learned from a few Newfoundland bands. He said the songs it produced had a few signature sonic markings, including tight melodies and heavy strumming on acoustic guitars, that he and his fellow producers have cultivated over the years recording albums for bands like the Ennis Sisters, Shanneyganock and The Fables.

He was unfazed, however, about the music being used to train these programs, noting that artists have long been contending with platforms like YouTube and Spotify that already cut deeply into musicians害羞草研究所� earnings.

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a bit of a feeling of surrender about it all 害羞草研究所� it is so hard to police it,害羞草研究所� Hallett said. 害羞草研究所淐reative work is really about driving your concert sales, or finding commercial placements. Even at the highest levels, people aren害羞草研究所檛 really making money anymore selling records.害羞草研究所�

Lin said AI-generated songs will likely be used by advertisers who need a catchy jingle for a commercial. And he believes that could start happening soon given the dizzying pace at which these tools are evolving.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e not talking about years or decades. We害羞草研究所檙e talking about months,害羞草研究所� Lin said.

But Hallett said anyone looking to use music to connect with an audience would be best served by human beings.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 easy to become scared of AI,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淏ut all of us are drawn to sincerity in music. We want to hear people who are telling us a real story and delivering real emotions. And the computer just can害羞草研究所檛 do that.害羞草研究所�

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害羞草研究所� With files from The Associated Press

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press