AI Drake Heart on My Sleeve

2023

Date: 4 April 2023 · Place: TikTok and Spotify, uploaded anonymously · Figures: Ghostwriter977, anonymous creator · Drake, voice-cloned subject · The Weeknd, voice-cloned subject · Universal Music Group · Tags: AI, Voice, Copyright 01. A Song That Sounds Real An anonymous TikTok user posting as Ghostwriter977 uploads 'Heart on My Sleeve' on 4 April 2023. The track features Drake and The Weeknd's voices, neither of whom recorded it. The vocals are generated using open-source voice cloning models. The song collects 15 million streams across TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music inside a week. Universal Music Group sends takedown notices on 17 April. The song is pulled from all major platforms within 48 hours. 02. The Industry Loses Its Reference Class Ghostwriter977 submits the song to the 2024 Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy initially rules the song eligible. Tens of similar voice-cloned tracks appear in 2023 and 2024, including AI Kanye, AI Frank Ocean, AI Juice WRLD. The music industry's century-old assumption that a vocal performance corresponds to a singer collapses inside a few weeks. Voice synthesis passes the same Turing test in April that image synthesis passed in March. Sources • The New York Times, 'An AI Hit of Fake Drake and the Weeknd' (19 April 2023) • Variety, 'Universal Music Sends Takedown Notices to Spotify Over AI Drake Song' (17 April 2023) • Billboard, 'AI-Generated Heart on My Sleeve Pulled from Streaming Services' (18 April 2023)