Would you like to create songs in the style of Sia?

YouTube are releasing a new set of features to their Dream Track product, allowing a select few creators to remix songs using AI.

It's easy as one-two-three: pick a song, write a short prompt describing how you'd like it remixed, and off you pop. You can use your new creation as background music for one of your Shorts.

AI-generated music...

...is a headache.

While figuring out copyrights of AI-generated written content isn't easy, music is a whole different ball game. Artists have been suing each other for plagiarism for decades:

• A guitarist claimed the opening riff of "Stairways to Heaven" by Led Zepplin was copied from one of his songs.

• Ed Sheeran faced a copyright lawsuit with his song "Thinking Out Loud" when Marvin Gaye's estate claimed it sounded a tad too much like "Let's Get It On".

• Marvin Gaye's music was at the centre of another lawsuit back in 2013 when his estate argued Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" blurred the lines between inspiration and downright copy-pasting the groove.

We can expect AI-generated music to only add to the headache.

So, what's YouTube's solution?

YouTube are sticking their necks out and experimenting with this; not only with cool features but also anticipating copyright disputes and compensation:

1. YouTube are only making a select few songs available to remix, limiting the scope of the feature and testing its feasibility.

2. YouTube have hand-picked vocalists users can use to remix the songs (including Demi Lovato, John Legend, and Sia). Again, this limits the scope of the feature and also helps them contain the next challenge...

3. YouTube are compensating the artists involved, preempting the tension that might arise between artists and remix creators.

This product is an interesting experiment in compensating all parties involved in AI-generated content. Let's get it on.