Google negotiating with Universal Music Group on AI ‘deepfake’ tool: report

A significant development could be on the horizon in the music industry’s efforts to grapple with the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), as a tech giant and a pair of music industry leaders are reportedly in talks on an AI music licensing arrangement.

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is in the early stages of negotiating with Universal Music Group over a tool to let fans create “deepfake” songs using artists’ voices and music through a legitimate process that would see artists who opt-in to the program receive royalties, according to a report by the Financial Times citing four sources familiar with the talks. The outlet noted that Warner Music is also in discussions with Google for a sim