Google announced on Tuesday that the generative AI music tool ProducerAI will become part of Google Labs. Backed by The Chainsmokers, the ProducerAI platform allows users to write natural language requests, such as “make a lofi beat,” to generate music. It uses Google DeepMind’s Lyria 3 music-generation model, which can turn text and even image inputs into audio outputs.
Google announced last week that its Lyria 3 capabilities would be introduced into the flagship Gemini app. However, ProducerAI makes it possible for users to communicate with the AI model more like it’s a “collaboration partner,” according to Elias Roman, Google Labs’ Senior Director of Product Management. Roman wrote that ProducerAI has allowed him to create in new ways, experiment with genre blends, make personalized birthday songs, and create custom workout soundtracks.
Google also shared that three-time Grammy-winning rapper Wyclef Jean used the Lyria 3 model and Google’s Music AI Sandbox on his recent song “Back From Abu Dhabi.” Jeff Chang, Director of Product Management at Google DeepMind, described the process as a careful curation, not just clicking a button. Jean recalled using the tools to quickly add a flute sound to a track he had already recorded. He emphasized that in this era, the human must be the most creative, noting that humans have a soul while AI has infinite information.
Some musicians have ardently opposed the use of AI tools in the music-making process, as these tools are often trained on copyrighted data without artists’ consent. In 2024, hundreds of musicians, including Billie Eilish and Katy Perry, signed an open letter calling on tech companies not to undermine human creativity. A cohort of music publishers also recently sued the AI company Anthropic for $3 billion, claiming it illegally downloaded over 20,000 copyrighted works.
Other artists have embraced the technology to improve audio quality. Paul McCartney used AI-powered noise reduction systems to clean up an old John Lennon demo, resulting in the Grammy-winning Beatles track “Now and Then.” Meanwhile, AI music generation tools like Suno have created synthetic music that tops charts. Telisha Jones used Suno to turn her poetry into the viral song “How Was I Supposed To Know” and signed a record deal reportedly worth $3 million.
The law remains unclear on the legality of using copyrighted works as training data. One federal judge ruled last year that training on copyrighted data is legal, but pirating it is not.