Celine Dion Releases New Message Against AI
Celine Dion is the latest artist to join the fight against AI-generated songs, after three fake covers and collaborations appeared on YouTube. Joining artists such as Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, and Stevie Wonder, Dion’s team released a statement to fans denouncing the “unsanctioned” works.
In an Instagram post, Dion’s team wrote, “Please be advised that these recordings are fake and not approved, and are not songs from her official discography.”
One of the songs, a cover of the popular gospel track, “Heal Me Lord” has tallied up more than a million views. Another had Dion’s voice duetting with Whitney Houston on the iconic “I Will Always Love You,” a third featured her on the Fast & Furious 7 soundtrack.
The statement garnered plenty of support from fans, one of whom wrote, “This AI crap is getting out of hand. There needs to be laws about this.” However, another commented, “We already know Celine. We just like to imagine a world where we hear you sing every song we love with that magical voice of yours.”
The Canadian powerhouse, who has several hit songs over her four and a half decade career, stepped away from the spotlight in 2022 after being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. The extremely rare neurological disease forced her to cancel her European tour and her plans to return to a Las Vegas residency. Dion made her first high profile appearance since the diagnosis singing “L’Hymne à l’amour” at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
She also made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Grammy Awards, where she received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Dion is not the only artist speaking out against AI generated music and collaborations. As the software advances, its ability to make songs does, too. Last year, an AI-generated collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd went viral on social media and could be found on streaming platforms before it got pulled and was submitted for a Grammy Award in 2023. Justin Bieber was featured on a viral AI track with Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee around the same time.
In a public letter signed by 200 artists, including the estates of Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra, as well as Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves, AI was considered an “assault on human creativity.” The letter was distributed by the Artists Rights Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to working with musicians and songwriters to advocate for fair compensation in digital media.
The letter reads in part, “Left unchecked, AI will set in motion a race to the bottom that will degrade the value of our work and prevent us from being fairly compensated for it.”
It continued, “We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem. We call on all AI developers, technology companies, platforms and digital music services to pledge that they will not develop or deploy AI music-generation technology, content or tools that undermine or replace the human artistry of songwriters and artists or deny us fair compensation for our work.”
While it’s still too early to tell how else AI can impact the music industry, several musicians and songwriters have committed to join the fight against potential disasterous consequences.
