AI song sparks debate in Francophone music scene
French language radio station played song largely created by AI, without knowing it
People tuning into a Pokemouche radio station on Valentine's Day probably didn't expect they would be listening to history in the making.
But to be fair, neither did the radio station.
CKRO-FM played a single by Océanne Chamberland called Je m'offre à toi, which means in English "I offer myself to you."
The problem is that Chamberland doesn't exist — at least not in the classical definition of existence.
The song was generated by artificial intelligence, and the station said it was added to its line-up via their automated system.
Radio-Canada said this would be the first time an AI-generated song has been broadcast by a community radio station in French-speaking Canada.
Station manager Michel Jacob said he didn't feel comfortable doing an interview in English but told Radio-Canada that no one at the station knew the song was largely AI generated at the time. And if they did, they wouldn't have played it.
'Revolutionary'
While the airing of the song is something of an embarrassment for the station, it's anything but for Pierre Côté, who wrote the song's lyrics.
The founder of an AI tech company and longtime music fan and producer, Côté said this marks a new era in AI music.
"Accident or not, there's [the] fact that this is the first case," said Côté.
"The point is, it's now possible for virtual artists like Océanne Chamberland [to] create a really good song in French and play on every station."
While Côté admits the song pales in comparison to some of the industry's greats, ones who exist in the flesh, he said it felt good to hear a song with his lyrics played on the radio.
"[It makes] me feel good to listen to Océanne Chamberland sing my own lyrics, you know, and I did it by myself independently. No big costs. And I think it's revolutionary," said Côté.
'Uncharted territory'
Industry representatives aren't as enthused as Côté.
Jean Surette, executive director of Music New Brunswick, said artistically Océanne Chamberland would be in a grey zone.
"Is [Côté] considered an artist? I think yes, for the lyrics," said Surette.
"We're not at the point where to me personally [that] this would be considered an artistic form where the … AI is definitely doing the heavy lifting in this case."
Of course, this isn't the first time there's been musical acts who don't fit in with the whole "existing" thing.
Gorillaz are a rock band made up of several cartoon characters, while Hatsune Miku is a Japanese singer invented using vocal synthesizers and holographic projections.
But those acts often have real musicians behind their lyrics, vocals and instruments, like Gorillaz's creator Damon Albarn who is part of the very real British rock band Blur.
They also aren't being portrayed as being anything but virtual, while Océanne Chamberland is.
"My position is I don't like the way that it's being portrayed as a real person," said Surette.
"We're in uncharted territory."
With files from Information Morning Moncton and Radio-Canada