How Did Selena Gomez React to Her AI Singing to The Weeknd?

Did Selena just get caught singing her ex The Weeknd’s Song? Well, not exactly. In the new internet era, it is definitely not surprising to come across different methods of using AI technology. One of the most popularized AI usages recently has been song covers.

If you have ever wondered how Ariana Grande would sound singing a NewJeans or Dua Lipa song, there are AI covers you can find for that. But, what does Selena Gomez have to do with this?

The Selena Gomez “Starboy” AI Cover

A Turkish Instagram user posted a reel that depicted Selena Gomez’s face edited as the Starboy cover. However, if you turn on the volume, you can hear the singer singing The Weeknd’s song. But, it is not technically Selena singing it.

The cover depicts an AI version of Selena who is singing the song. The post features the 2016 song, which was initially sung by Daft Punk and The Weeknd. Selena is singing the lines: ”House so empty, need a centerpiece/ Twenty racks a table, cut from ebony/ Cut that ivory into skinny pieces/ Then she clean it with her face, man, I love my baby”.

The Instagram reel was captioned in Turkish and read: “How did you find Selena’s viral cover of Starboy voiced with artificial intelligence?”

Selena Reacts To The AI Cover

Although the original poster was asking fans and viewers to comment on the video and the cover itself, they would have never imagined what was about to come their way. Selena Gomez came across the Instagram post and decided to answer the question herself.

Selena responded with: “Scary”. This is a direct answer to the fan’s AI edit reel.

The Issue Surrounding AI Covers

Although some fans find these covers exciting and fun, others are not so happy with what AI is able to do nowadays.

The rise of AI-generated song covers has raised complex legal and ethical questions. This is concerning their impact on artists’ autonomy and copyright issues.

Drake expressed his discontent with this trend by sharing an AI version of himself covering a song, expressing his frustration with AI’s mimicry of his likeness.

Universal Music Group (UMG) has taken action by requesting streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music to prevent AI developers from using UMG artists’ music to train AI software. UMG emphasized its moral and commercial responsibility to protect artists’ rights and interests.

Legal experts, including music and copyright lawyer Alexander Ross, have cautioned that AI-generated covers could potentially lead to copyright infringement claims, even if the vocals are artificially generated. Ross highlighted that the act of reproducing and distributing parts of copyrighted recordings could be grounds for infringement proceedings.

What do you think? Should AI covers be banned to protect artists and their autonomy, or are they just harmless fun?