These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
Earlier this year, an anonymous creator who goes by Ghostwriter caused a stir with a track called “Heart on My Sleeve,” which features convincing AI-generated vocals that sounded like Drake and the Weeknd. (It was quickly yanked from legal streaming services, but not before it went viral.) The voices were created using open source software known as So-VITS-SVC, which allows the technically inclined to train a neural network on a singer’s voice and then produce any song using the AI-created vocals. Enthusiasts swap voice models—everyone from Bad Bunny to Taylor Swift to James Hatfield—in Discord communities. Meanwhile, user-friendly websites that employ the software have been mushrooming.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
