Breakdown
- Country star Randy Travis has defied his stroke over a decade later, using AI to recreate his voice
- The AI model used over 40 different stems from Travis' entire career
- Where That Came From marks Travis' only new recording in the last decade
Unfortunately, since it's become mainstream, AI has been used for plenty of nefarious things. From creating AI generated nudes of celebrities, to an artificial George Carlin special that is absolutely abysmal, there's no shortage of terrible things coming from AI. However, for the hundreds of horrible things that AI is capable of, there's one glimmer of hope that brings a bright potential for the technology.
One case is that of Randy Travis' latest single. In 2013, Travis suffered from viral cardiomyopathy, a virus that attacks someone's heart, which caused him to have a stroke. Travis spent years learning to walk and write again, and he still struggles to speak to this day.
However, "Where That Came From", Travis' latest single, would have you thinking he has returned to his former self. The track marks his first new recording in over a decade, thanks to AI that recreated his voice. The talent is still Randy Travis' singing voice, but trained from his old tracks.
It's fairly similar to how Val Kimer used AI to speak in Top Gun: Maverick. Unlike random internet users cloning a celebrity's voice for their own desires, this use of AI is particularly bittersweet. In an interview with The Associated Press, Randy Travis' wife, Mary Travis, said ""All I ever wanted since the day of a stroke was to hear that voice again."
The idea was from Warner Music Nashville co-president, Cris Lacy, who approached Travis and his wife prior to working on the AI single. After getting their approval, Lacy worked with developers in London to create a proprietary AI model that used a total of 44 stems, from various moments in Travis' career prior to his stroke.
Of course, there's plenty of negativity when it comes to AI. From taking jobs away from artist, like the AI Godzilla MonsterVerse artwork, but there's clearly some usefulness that can come from AI. So long as there's permission from the celebrities or the estate first and foremost.