Never mind ChatGPT — music might be the next big frontier for AI content generation. Google recently published research on MusicLM, a system that creates music in any genre with a text description. This isn’t the first AI music generator. As TechCrunchnotes, projects like Google’s AudioML and OpenAI’s Jukebox have tackled the subject. However, MusicLM’s model and vast training database (280,000 hours of music) help it produce music with surprising variety and depth. You might just like the output.

The AI can not only combine genres and instruments, but write tracks using abstract concepts that are normally difficult for computers to grasp. If you want a hybrid of dance music and reggaeton with a “spacey, otherworldly” tune that evokes a “sense of wonder and awe,” MusicLM can make it happen. The technology can even craft melodies based on humming, whistling or the description of a painting. A story mode can stitch several descriptions together to produce a DJ set or soundtrack.

MusicLM has its problems, as with many AI generators. Some compositions sound strange, and vocals tend to be incomprehensible. And while the performances themselves are better than you’d expect, they can be repetitive in ways human works might not. Don’t expect an EDM-style drop or the verse-chorus-verse pattern of a typical song.

Just don’t plan on using the tech any time soon. As with other Google AI generators, the researchers aren’t releasing MusicLM to the public over copyright concerns. Roughly one percent of the music produced at the time of publication was copied directly from the training songs. While questions regarding licensing for AI music haven’t been settled, a 2021 whitepaper from Eric Sunray (now working for the Music Publishers Association) suggested that there’s enough “coherent” traces of the original sounds that AI music can violate reproduction rights. You may have to get clearances to release AI-created songs, much like musicians who rely on samples.

AI already has a place in music. Artists like Holly Herndon and Arca have used algorithms to produce albums and museum soundtracks. However, those are either collaborative (as with Herndon) or intentionally unpredictable (like Arca’s). MusicLM may not be ready for prime time, but it hints at a future where AI could play a larger role in the studio.

Source: Engadget – Google AI can create music in any genre from a text description

At CES earlier this January, Mercedes announced that it would become the first car company to achieve certification from the SAE for a Level 3 driver assist system. That became official on Thursday when the automaker confirmed its Drive Pilot ADAS (automated driver assist system) now complies with the requirements of Nevada Chapter 482A, which governs the use of autonomous vehicle technology on the state’s roads. That makes Drive Pilot the only legal Level 3 system in the US for the moment.

“An unwavering commitment to innovation has consistently guided Mercedes-Benz from the very beginning,” Dimitris Psillakis, President and CEO of MBUSA, said in Thursday’s press statement. “It is a very proud moment for everyone to continue this leadership and celebrate this monumental achievement as the first automotive company to be certified for Level 3 conditionally automated driving in the US market.”

Level 3 capabilities, as defined by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), would enable the vehicle to handle “all aspects of the driving” when engaged but still need the driver attentive enough to promptly take control if necessary. That’s a big step up from the Level 2 systems we see today such as Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving,” Ford’s Blue Cruise, and GM’s Super Cruise. All of those are essentially extra-capable highway cruise controls where the driver must maintain their attention on driving, typically keeping their hands on or at least near the wheel, and be responsible for what the ADAS is doing while it’s doing it. That’s a far cry from the Knight Rider-esque ADAS outlook Tesla is selling and what Level 2 autonomy is actually capable of.

Mercedes’ Drive Pilot system can, “on suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density,” according to the company, take over the bumper-to-bumper crawling duties up to 40 MPH without the driver needing to keep their hands on the wheel. When engaged, the system handles lane-keeping duties, stays with the flow of traffic, navigates to destinations programmed into the Nav system, and will even react to “unexpected traffic situations and handles them independently, e.g. by evasive maneuvers within the lane or by braking maneuvers.”

To perform these feats, the Drive Pilot system relies on a suite of sensors embedded throughout the vehicle including visual cameras, LiDAR arrays, radar and ultrasound sensors, and audio mics to keep an ear out for approaching emergency vehicles. The system even compares its onboard sensor data with what it is receiving from its GPS to ensure it knows exactly where on the road it actually is. 

Drive Pilot is only available on the 2024 S-Class and EQS Sedan for now. Those are already in production and the first cars should reach the Vegas strip in the second half of this year. 

Source: Engadget – Mercedes is the first certified Level-3-autonomy car company in the US