Hear an AI sing Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’!
And the result will probably surprise you
Lately there has been a lot of talk about AI algorithms that can produce images. However, the scientific community is simultaneously developing machine learning models that can make sounds, even to the point of…singing!
At the forefront of developments is the American composer and musician Holly Herndon, who has a Ph.D. in music and acoustics research with computers. Specifically, Holly has developed a neural network that mimics her voice and anyone can use it by making it sing.
Now, to show off her creation skills, Holly has released a cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’, sung entirely by her AI. Yes, the song may sound perfectly normal at first listen, but none of its vocals come from human vocal chords!
Every vocal sound, even the sharp breaths before the harmonies start, was created by AI. Absolutely no humans are involved. Of course, if you listen carefully, some of the phrasing is a little drawn out and there are occasional artifacts. However, as a whole, the AI model for the voice of the real Holly Herndon is without a doubt very impressive and has the ability to imitate its creator very realistically.
It’s one of those cases where too many words mean too little, so here’s Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ performed by AI:
