The commercial in which the singer appears in a duet with Maria Rita has generated criticism and praise on social networks; ‘Estadão’ has already been in discussions with creators and specialists about recreating the voices and images of artists who have died
A artificial intelligence proves, every day, that it is possible to do more than imagined. This Tuesday 4, a commercial that brought the singer Elis Regina doing a duet next to his daughter, Maria Ritataken care of social media. While the commercial moved some, others began to question the limits of using the voice and image of artists who have died.
OR Stadium he had already advanced the discussion of the practice that has grown with the advancement of technology in June. On social networks, the creators are already proving that it is possible to make any artist sing the song they want.
After the launch of the commercial with Elis, the internet was divided. While netizens have praised the possibility that the singer could duet with Maria Rita—she was just four years old when the artist died in 1982—others have seen the dangers of the technology.
“I am absolutely against using anyone who is already dead in advertising for a billion dollar company. I think it is a mockery of the person’s memory, which is not there to approve or disapprove and worse, be used in a commercial way ”one netizen pointed out.
on the controversy there about Wolks’ Elis Regina: I’m totally against using anyone who’s already dead in advertising for a billion dollar company
I think it’s a mockery of the person’s memory, which is not there to approve or disapprove, and worse, be used commercially
— Moco (@RafaelMoco) July 4, 2023
“What a beautiful campaign,” praised another. “They put Maria Rita and Elis Regina singing together and I’ve already started the day crying,” he added.
wow what a beautiful thing this volkswagen campaign
they put maria rita and elis regina singing together and i already started the day crying
—luscas™? (@lusca) July 4, 2023
In the case of Elis, artificial intelligence was used to recreate her image on video, such as her singing voice Like our parents was already registered. Even so, it’s part of an ongoing phenomenon on the networks: the “duets” of dead singers with living ones, recreated with technology.
the influencer Lamerazi29 years old, for example, recreates extraordinary voices and artists of the countryside in collaborations with singers still active. Posts, usually made in the format Tick tockwho go most viral are those who carry the voice of Marilia Mendonca. The one with which the Queen of Suffering sings Anna Castilefor example, add up to 1.3 million views.
@lamerazi
In reply to @pedrojunior59 Marília Mendonça sings “Nosso Quadro” with Ana Castela, through artificial intelligence. Thank you so much to everyone who requested this song. #nossoquadro #anacastela #mariliamendonça #sertanejo @Boiadeira
original sound – Lamerazi
The user of Twitter who prefers to identify as Jefino also went viral with a creation made with the voice of Renato Russo. He had recently made a playing with a version of cherry lipstickduo music Israel and Rudolphsung by the vocalist of urban legion.
Despite doing the experiment in a joking tone and placing several caveats in passing that the music was made by AI, Jefinho’s publishing has taken on proportions he never imagined. Playtime has arrived Giuliano Manfredinison of the singer and manager of Legião Urbana Produções, the company that manages the assets of the band and the artist’s material.
In a statement sent to StadiumManfredini’s house said it is evaluating legal measures on the case together with the record company universal. The song excerpt has already been removed from the air.
“Regarding the songs created by the artificial intelligence in Renato Russo’s voice, we at Legião Urbana Produções Artísticas became aware of the case and got in touch with the Universal label, who forwarded us to the legal department and are evaluating which measures are appropriate.”
In a note also sent to the report, Jefinho reiterated that the recreation was done as a joke and without the aim of recreating a “real” musical work. Read in full:
“It’s a joke, of course. The idea is just to imagine something in Renato’s stamp and try to perform like him, obviously imagining something he would never do. It was 30 seconds and something, full of warnings that were generated by artificial intelligence, an experiment to show what artificial intelligence was capable of. I don’t think anyone took it seriously or even “appreciated” it as a “real” musical performance.”
AI creations involve training machines
Lamerazi explains that the songs are made through a technique involving machine training or machine learning. The program algorithm that he uses is powered by voice files.
In the case of Renato Russo, Jefinho comments that he chose the singer due to the large amount of material available from interviews with the artist on the Internet. “Renato has a lot of interview material, and the AI training is best with speech and music,” she says.
Elis’ commercial, however, did not feature the singer’s voice. You have already immortalized the classic Like our parentsIn Belchiorre, in previous registrations. The technique also used machine training, but in this case to copy utterances. The practice is called “deepfake”.
Publicists used a stunt double to simulate the artist’s movements. Subsequently, her face and her expressions were adapted so that she appeared to interact with Maria Rita.
The practice collides with copyright
The commercial featuring Elis was cleared by the family, but the disclosure of artificial intelligence raises copyright debates. The recreation of artists’ voices and images collides with related rights, one of the facets of copyright, as the lawyer explains Daniel Campello.
According to Campello, related rights carry a moral prejudice, as they protect singers from having their voices modified or reused without express permission. The lawyer states that the patrimonial right of the recording still exists, which also requires an authorization from the phonographic producer or the record company for the use of the voice.
For deceased artists, the property right has an “expiry date” and lasts between 50 and 70 years, depending on the country, after the release of the phonogram containing the artist’s voice. Moral rights, however, never end.
However, for the lawyer, technology is not the enemy of human beings and artistic creations. AI can facilitate processes that require repetition of standardized tasks. In the case of songs, AI can help compose new melodies and lyrics and produce beats, for example.
“It doesn’t mean that using AI as a tool is something negative or reprehensible, quite the contrary. I understand that this new aspect of technology is already revolutionizing our sector with highly disruptive transformations”, comments Campello.
Discussing the ethics that include the use of technology is no easy task. Jefinho comments on an advertisement for Coca Cola created by artificial intelligence and takes a stand against the use of AI for commercial purposes. “This used the work of other artists who weren’t paid,” he says.
Lamerazi also sees AI as “a potentially dangerous tool”. He reports that he has already received proposals from followers to recreate messages with the voices of deceased relatives, for example, and, for this reason, he always tries to set limits on his creations. “I get a little thoughtful. Why, what if human beings get used to it, not going through the mourning period and stuff?” he asks.
For Campello, the solution for the good use of technology is “to create limits so that human creation is always privileged”. “Human creations with a high load of complexity and creativity can never be replaced by artificial intelligence. Or does anyone believe that a robot can create a masterpiece like Ipanema girlone of the best known and most followed songs in the history of music?” he says.
There is also a lack of adaptation in laws in relation to new technologies. “Brazilian legislation is not even suited to the world of streaming platforms, much less to artificial intelligence issues,” Campello points out.
The lawyer comments that a reform of the legislation would also allow Brazil to make positive use of the resource. “We need to quickly adapt our legal environment so that we can ride this wave positively and with the protection due to human creation,” he says.
OR Stadium reached out to singer Maria Rita’s press office to comment on the choice to use Elis’ image in the ad, but received no response at the time of publication.
*Intern under the supervision of Charlise de Morais
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
