What happened

Voiceify (renamed Jammable)’s platform uses AI voice cloning to create vocal covers, generating new versions of songs with vocals mimicking different artists by extracting acapella tracks from YouTube videos, modifying them with AI vocal models, and providing users with unauthorised copies of altered elements and remixed recordings.

Complaints about Voiceify prompted the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to issue a formal legal letter outlining its concerns about copyright infringement. 

Critics and commentators also pointed out that misusing AI by stealing others’ creative outputs harms the livelihoods of creators and undermines trust between artists, fans and platforms.

Why it happened

The controversy stems from Jammable's service, which allows users to create songs using cloned voices of popular artists like Tupac Shakur and Adele. 

The BPI argues that this practice not only exploits artists' voices without consent but also undermines their ability to earn a living from their work. 

The organisation emphasises that AI companies must respect the creativity and rights of artists instead of profiting from their likenesses without proper authorisation.

The broader context includes increasing scrutiny on AI technologies that use copyrighted material, leading to multiple lawsuits against various companies in the sector.