TikTok Can Create AI Songs, but Maybe It Shouldn't / These AI-Generated Songs Aren't Quite AI Drake Yet.

TikTok has been a breeding ground for viral songs, and now it's venturing into a new realm by testing a feature that harnesses the power of AI to let more users flex their songwriting muscles.

This new feature, called AI Song, crafts songs from text prompts with assistance from the extensive language model known as Bloom. Users can input their lyrics into the text field when creating a post. TikTok then suggests AI Song to enhance the post with sounds, allowing users to toggle between different genres for their created songs.

Barney Hooper, a spokesperson for TikTok, clarified that it's not precisely an AI song generator. He mentioned in an email to The Verge, "The name is likely to change, and it is currently in testing at the moment." He further explained that the music utilized is from a pre-saved catalog established within the business, aligning the lyrics with pre-existing music in genres like pop, hip-hop, and EDM.

Although AI Song hasn't rolled out to everyone yet, some TikTok users have already started experimenting with it. Initial results, however, are somewhat underwhelming. Despite the availability of auto-tuning vocals, many songs created with AI Song appear out of tune. For instance, a TikTok user named Jonah Manzano attempted to create a song that oddly stretched the word "comedy" into more syllables than necessary. Another user, Kristi Leilani, tried to recreate a Britney Spears song but ended up with significantly out-of-tune vocals.

While AI-generated songs are not new to TikTok, the platform has seen its share of both success and criticism. The AI Drake and The Weeknd song "Heart on My Sleeve" gained popularity, but artists like Bad Bunny expressed concern about people listening to AI sound-alikes on TikTok.

TikTok isn't the only platform delving into generative AI features. YouTube, too, has tested a music creation functionality allowing users to compose songs based on text prompts or hummed tunes. Their Dream Track feature even enables users to generate 30-second snippets in the style of popular artists.

In a bid for transparency, TikTok has introduced features to help identify AI-created content on the app. Additionally, the platform updated its rules, requiring users to openly disclose their use of AI in their content.

As of the latest update on January 19, 2024, TikTok spokesperson Barney Hooper confirmed that AI Song is still in the testing phase. He noted that the name is likely to change, and the music used in the feature is sourced from a pre-saved catalog within the business.