A.R. Rahman emphasizes the importance of AI in music, stating it must have a purpose rather than being a mere gimmick.
According to music maestro A R Rahman, the utilization of technology must not be seen as a mere gimmick and should be carried out with appropriate authorization. Rahman recently employed an AI software to reproduce the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for a new song.
Rahman is happy that artificial intelligence technology, a hot button issue in the world and viewed by many with awe and fear, allowed him to bring back the voices of his friends and many of the songs’ previous collaborators.
“(You should do it) Only when you really need it and only when you can do it. It shouldn’t be half-baked. It’s not a gimmick, it’s an effect and it has to serve a purpose,” Rahman told PTI. virtual interview.
Bakya and Hameed are credited as playback singers for the song “Thimiri Yezhuda” in “Lal Salaam”, directed by Rajinikanth’s daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on February 9.
The Oscar-winning musician said that when he and his team decided to use AI, they knew it was important to get the consent of the two singers’ families.
“We went to the families, we asked permission, and they were upset and the compensation was paid. These are all personal assets that they have given to the family. They have the right to say yes or no. In this case, they said yes. And we used it. I think there is nothing to blame as we took legal permission,” he added.
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The internet is full of people recreating old songs with new technology, and Rahman has also seen videos of AI versions of political leaders singing songs available on Tik Tok and Instagram.
“… It was fun to see and some of them are so real. But when you do something commercially and it makes money, it’s legal to go and ask for permission. It’s important to compensate for that. So the method has and if no one sets it, people abuse it “, he said.
“That was one of the reasons why I asked the director (Aishwarya), ‘Can we do this?’ singers like SP Balasubramaniam…”
Bakya, who crooned popular numbers like the latest ‘Ponni Nadhi’ in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, died in September 2022 at the age of 42. He had also sung the songs ‘Pullinangal’ from Rajinikanth’s ‘2.0’, ‘Kalame Kalame’. ” from Vijay’s “Bigil” and “Simtarangaran” from “Sarkar”.
Before his death in 1998, Hameed worked extensively with Rahman in films like ‘Gentleman’, ‘Jeans’ and ‘Kadhalan’.
The 57-year-old musician said his venture is similar to how film brings historical figures back to the big screen.
“This is not a permanent solution. I felt, what if we bring them back like the movies? We brought back Gandhi Ji and Subhas Chandra Bose. It’s very similar to that. We bring back a voice to say an expression by taking permission and being very careful about emotions.
“Family is very important, kids are important, their partners and soul mates are important. If they had said no, I wouldn’t have done it. I would have said, ‘No dude.’
The music maestro is aware of the debate surrounding artificial intelligence, with the general fear that it could lead to job losses in various industries.
He warned that people in leadership positions should be careful about the ethical use of technology.
“No technology should harm humanity. It should only enhance or improve the way we work. Even if it takes away one job, it’s not worth it. There will be good people and there will be bad people. Good people do it in a legal way, bad people would think: ” How can I avoid all the stuff and take that money?” So conscience is involved.
“And especially the leaders should be very careful not to take jobs away from this. It should bring more jobs to people,” he said.
