A R Rahman on using AI in music: Not a gimmick, has to serve a purpose

Rahman used an AI software to recreate the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for a new track in ‘Lal Salaam’

The use of technology cannot be "gimmicky" and should be done with proper permissions, says music maestro A R Rahman, who has used an AI software to recreate the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for a new track.

Rahman is happy that artificial intelligence technology, which is a hot button issue in the world with many looking at it with a mix of awe and fear, allowed him to bring back the voices of his friends and past collaborators of many songs.

"(You should do it) Only when you really need it and only when you can do it. It should not be half-baked. It is not a gimmick, it's an effect and has to serve the purpose," Rahman told PTI in a virtual interview.

Bakya and Hameed are credited as playback singers for the track Thimiri Yezhuda in Lal Salaam, directed by Rajinikanth's daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth. The film is scheduled to be released in theatres on February 9. The Oscar-winning musician said when he and his team decided to use AI software, they knew it was important to have the consent of the two singers' families.

"We went to the families, asked permission, and they were overwhelmed and the compensation was given. These are all personality assets which they've given to the family. It's their right to say yes or no. In this case, they said yes and we used it. There's nothing objectionable for me because we took the legit permission," he added.

Internet is full of people recreating old tracks with new technology and Rahman has also seen videos of AI versions of political leaders singing songs that are available on Tik Tok and Instagram. "... It was fun to see and some of them are so real. But when you do something commercially and it's a money making thing, it's legit to go and take permission. It's important to compensate for it. So, a method has to be set and if nobody sets it, people will misuse it," he said.

“It was one of the reasons why I asked the director (Aishwarya), ‘Can we do this?’ And she said, ‘Yes’. She was really happy hearing the results. In fact, now a lot of people are asking for other singers, like SP Balasubramaniam.” Bakya, who crooned popular numbers such as the latest Ponni Nadhi in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan, died in September 2022 at the age of 42. He had also sung the tracks Pullinangal from Rajinikanth’s 2.0, Kalame Kalame from Vijay’s Bigil and Simtarangaran from Sarkar.