Adobe unveils GenAI, a music tool

Adobe has introduced Project Music GenAI Control, a platform that uses GenAI to turn text descriptions or reference melodies into audio that allows users customization options, at the Hot Pod Summit in Brooklyn. Users can modify tempo, intensity, patterns, and structure, lengthen tracks, remix music, or create endless loops, using this tool.

Adobe is collaborating with researchers from the University of California and Carnegie Mellon University to develop an innovative tool known as Project Music GenAI Control. This tool is not yet publicly available and is firmly rooted in the research stage, according to Gautham Mysore, Adobe’s Head of Audio and Video AI Research. He made these remarks during a panel at Hot Pod, where he also noted that the platform is still in its early stages without a user interface.

The tool uses AI to generate music with the user in the director’s seat, allowing for a multitude of controls and modifications to the music created. “This tool does not merely generate music, it also gives users varying degrees of control to experiment,” said Mysore. Users do not need to be composers to bring their musical ideas to life.

However, the proliferation of GenAI music tools and GenAI tools in general has led to growing ethical and legal concerns surrounding AI-created music, artwork, and text. Homemade tracks utilizing GenAI, capable of creating familiar sounds and vocals that can potentially be mistaken for authentic work, have started gaining traction online. Music labels have promptly flagged AI-created tracks to streaming services such as Spotify and SoundCloud, citing possible intellectual property violations. Yet, it remains unclear whether ‘deepfake’ music infringes upon the copyrights of artists, labels, and other stakeholders.

To avoid potential infringements, Adobe generally trains its GenAI tools on data that is either licensed or in the public domain, as per Mysore. However, it remains uncertain whether this will be the case with Project Music GenAI Control. In addition to this, Adobe is developing watermarking technology to distinguish audio produced by Project Music GenAI Control, although this is still a work in progress.

Mysore emphasizes Adobe’s responsible approach towards these issues. He states, “There are a plethora of exceptional musicians creating this content. I am confident that both these musicians and tools like Project Music GenAI Control will coexist. This could lead to the emergence of new musical ideas.”