To counteract what could be a very real threat to the music industry, Universal Music and Google are planning on working towards licensing artists’ voices and melodies to protect artists and the industry from AI recreating their voices.

According to the Financial Times, four people with knowledge of the move confirm the partnership aims to strike a partnership to help combat the increase of AI-generated “deepfake” songs created without an artist’s consent, and that sounds strikingly similar to the singers it aims to mimic.

“An artist’s voice is often the most valuable part of their livelihood and public persona, and to steal it, no matter the means, is wrong,” Universal Music general counsel Jeffrey Harleston said.

Recent AI releases circulating include a Frank Sinatra rendition of “Gangsta’s Paradise” and bizarrely, Johnny Cash’s voice was layered over the “Barbie Girl” song.

When an AI-produced song went viral with the mimicked voices of Drake and The Weeknd, Universal Music had the song scrubbed from streaming platforms due to a copyright breach.

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 9: Drake performs onstage during “Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert” at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Drake responded saying this deepfake was “the final straw”. Another rapper, Ice Cube, characterised cloned tracks as “demonic”.

If Google can develop a viable music product, the company would go head-to-head sparring with Microsoft, which invested $10bn in ChatGPT’s owner, OpenAI.