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Back in the day when you asked kids what they aspired to be in the future, you would usually hear answers like fireman, doctor or singer. Nowadays they also want to be a YouTuber or influencer. In the recent years the job ‘influencer’ has evolved and taken over our social media feeds, especially in the fashion industry. Imagine being paid for trips abroad, taking pictures of your daily life or attending parties and meeting celebrities. Fashion influencers have become a vital part in the marketing strategy of many small and large fashion brands. Companies often offer influencers to advertise their products and pay a fee per post.

I also follow some fashion influencers on Instagram, mainly to gain some outfit inspirations. One day a post from @seraphinnevallora showed up on my feed and I realized it was an account with all AI generated pictures. Upon further research, I realized this was not the only ‘influencer’ account using generative AI. Another example is @feli.airt with over 320K followers. All these accounts have a similar aesthetic and models, perhaps due to them using the same generator. I tried using the same generative AI called Midjourney with Feng My Shui. You just need to write a prompt which is a text phrase that the AI will read to generate an image. The results are not exactly what I wanted – I noticed that you need to write very specifically and choosing the write words is key. Also, I used a free version and the paid version of Midjourney would probably generate better results. Personally, lightning and color proved to be especially challenging. According to the creators of @seraphinnevallora, one picture can take up hours as they need to adjust to the customers’ preferences. Apart from fashions posts, they also receive offers from real estate businesses to show off their buildings. This development lead me to think models and influencers may not be needed anymore as AI can also create pictures for marketing purposes. Remarkably, a common factor between the pictures is that almost no pictures show the lower body part. This was also the case for the generated pictures from Feng My Shui, even if I typed it into the prompt. The technology is still developing and I am curious to see how it will improve. Below you can find the pictures from various accounts on Instagram and the ones I generated. Can you tell which one is made with a free generator and paid version of Midjourney?

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Imagine how surprised I was when one of my favorite singers dropped a new song after a hiatus of six years. Dean is a Korean R&B singer-songwriter who has not released any solo in a long time. To my disappointment it was a cover song but something was better than nothing at all. However, it was actually an AI generated cover song which surprised me because it bore an uncanny resemblance to his voice. Hence the video was not uploaded by an official account, though it racked up over 2 million views on the platform. Using AI to mimic artists’ voices was at that time not exactly unknown to me, but it usually did not sound 100% real. After a few notes, you could hear it was AI generated which was not in this case. I wondered if the user who used Dean’s voice unauthorized would be liable for copyright infringement. Thus far the video is still up and running. Further research showed that people are not only using AI to make cover songs, but also ‘original’ AI generated songs with voices from actual real artists. One AI generated Drake song actually went viral and had millions of views and streams before being taken down from various platforms.

Popular websites include Voicify.ai which is a website that provides paid services to generate a realistic cover song with your selected vocals. Trending choices range from cartoon characters like Eric from South Park to Michael Jackson. A quick search for free platforms led me to Covers.ai, although the selection of voices is limited compared to paid websites. I could create one cover song with the free trial. Unsurprisingly it did not sound as flawless as the covers you can find on TikTok, but oddly enough it did get better at the latter part of the song. 

These ongoing unofficial releases have sparked a discussion about generative AI and its ethical implications. Issues concerning copyrights, originality and integrity  are raised. The fact that AI can replicate our voices so easily gives me a sense of foreboding for the future. For artists who depend on their voice for a living, the rise of AI may be threatening to them. Since there are no regulations yet, this kind of AI generator could also be used for negative purposes such as voice phishing.

With all these implications, can we still enjoy generative AI music responsibly? One thing for sure is that we must find the right balance between innovation and integrity. Perhaps generative AI is the way to provide us with music from our favorite inactive artists (any Frank Ocean fans?). Let me know if you have ever been fooled by an AI generated cover song and thought it was real.