Recently, a virtual singer named "AI Sun Yanzi" became popular on the video platform, and she used Sun Yanzi's voice to cover the classic songs of Jay Chou, Zhao Lei, Guo Ding and many other singers, which amazed netizens.
Some people say that "AI Sun Yanzi" is the hottest voice in 2023, and some people say that "AI Sun Yanzi" makes Sun Yanzi, who was jokingly called an "unpopular singer" by the post-00s, become the top again.
How did this "AI Sun Yanzi" do it?
It turned out that she was based on an open source project called so-vits-svc. This project can use a generative model to synthesize the audio of the target timbre, and only need to provide a few audio segments as material to train the acoustic model that the user wants. This model can preserve pitch and pitch, or cover it in different languages.
To make a song for "AI Sun Yanzi", you first need to obtain the original sound of Sun Yanzi without accompaniment and reverberation. These materials can be obtained from her videos by de-accompaniment or by extracting dialogue. These materials are then input to the model as target timbre for training, and a model that can generate Sun Yanzi's timbre is obtained. Next, you can use this model to convert the singing voice of any timbre. Finally, with some post-processing and adjustment, you can get a song that sounds like Sun Yanzi sang.
AI covers spark copyright controversy
The popularity of "AI Sun Yanzi" has also caused some copyright controversy. Did she infringe on the rights and interests of Sun Yanzi and other singers and songwriters? Wang Guohua, a partner at Beijing Zhongwen Law Firm, said that "AI Sun Yanzi" involves two infringement issues: one is to infringe Sun Yanzi's voice rights, and the other is to infringe on the copyright rights of songwriters.
Wang Guohua explained that the right to voice belongs to one of the personality rights stipulated in the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, and is that natural persons enjoy other personality rights and interests based on personal freedom and personal dignity. For the protection of the voice of natural persons, refer to the relevant provisions on the protection of portrait rights. Therefore, the imitation of Sun Yanzi's voice by "AI Sun Yanzi" affected the corresponding rights enjoyed by the original singer to the voice.
Sun Yanzi responded to the AI cover: No displeasure
According to Taiwanese media reports, Sun Yanzi said in response to the AI cover for the first time that there was not much reaction or unhappiness, thinking that AI is the current trend and has long expected this situation.
Sun Yanzi also said that she was not particularly satisfied with her voice and felt that her voice was a bit rough, so she was also curious about how the AI imitated her voice. She said that she doesn't feel threatened by AI covers, but finds it fun and appreciates AI's creativity.
Sun Yanzi also revealed that she is recently preparing a new album, which she hopes to release at the end of this year or early next year. She said she won't change her musical style or direction because of the advent of AI because she believes that music has a soul and that AI cannot replace human emotion and creativity.
AI covers bring new opportunities to the music market
Although "AI Sun Yanzi" raises some copyright and ethical issues, some people believe that AI covers have brought new opportunities and possibilities to the music market. Some netizens said that "AI Sun Yanzi" made Sun Yanzi, who was jokingly called an "unpopular singer" by the post-00s, become the top again, and it was not a bad thing to make her out of the circle again.
Some musicians also said that AI covers can be used as a creative tool and source of inspiration, which can make music more diverse and rich. For example, "AI Sun Yanzi" covers Jay Chou's "Hair Like Snow", some netizens feel very wonderful, I hope that Sun Yanzi can really cooperate with Jay Chou once and see real people in reality.
Of course, AI covers cannot ignore respect and protection for creators and singers. When using AI technology, relevant legal regulations and ethical guidelines should be observed, and infringement and fraud should be avoided. At the same time, the use of AI technology should be indicated, and the information of the original author and singer should be indicated as a sign of respect and tribute.
epilogue
"AI Sun Yanzi" is a microcosm of artificial intelligence technology in the field of music, demonstrating the powerful ability and unlimited potential of artificial intelligence technology. But at the same time, "AI Sun Yanzi" has also exposed some legal and ethical problems and challenges, which need our joint attention and solution. While enjoying the convenience and fun brought by artificial intelligence technology, we must also remain rational and vigilant, and do not let artificial intelligence technology infringe on the rights and interests of others or mislead the public