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Can AI work backward from a text description to generate a coherent song? That\u2019s the premise of MusicLM<\/a>, the AI-powered music creation tool Google released yesterday during the kickoff of its I\/O conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n MusicLM<\/a>, which was trained on hundreds of thousands of hours of audio to learn to create new music in a range of styles, is available in preview via Google\u2019s AI Test Kitchen app. I\u2019ve been playing around with it for the past day or so, as have a few of my colleagues.<\/p>\n The verdict? Let\u2019s just say MusicLM isn\u2019t coming for musicians\u2019 jobs anytime soon.<\/p>\n Using MusicLM in Test Kitchen is pretty straightforward. Once you\u2019re approved for access, you\u2019re greeted with a text box where you can enter a song description \u2014 as detailed as you like \u2014 and have the system generate two versions of the song. Both can be downloaded for offline listening, but Google encourages you to \u201cthumbs up\u201d one of the tracks to help improve the AI\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Google<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When I first covered<\/a> MusicLM in January, before it was released, I wrote that the system\u2019s songs sounded something like a human artist might compose \u2014 albeit not necessarily as musically inventive or cohesive. Now, I can\u2019t say I entirely stand by those words, as it seems clear that there was some serious cherry-picking going on with samples from earlier in the year.<\/p>\n Most songs I\u2019ve generated with MusicLM sound passable at best \u2014 and at worst like a four-year-old let loose on a DAW<\/a>. I\u2019ve mostly stuck to EDM, trying to yield something with structure and a discernible (plus pleasant, ideally) melody. But no matter how decent \u2014 even good! \u2014 the beginning of MusicLM\u2019s songs sounds, there comes a moment when they break down in a very obvious, musically unpleasing way.<\/p>\n For example, take this sample, generated using the prompt \u201cEDM song in a light, upbeat and airy style, good for dancing.\u201d It starts off promising, with head-bobbing baseline and elements of a classic Daft Punk single. But toward the middle of the track, it veers wayyyyy off course \u2014 practically another genre.<\/p>\n
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