AR Rahman Recreates Voices of Late Singers With AI; Internet Has Mixed Reactions

AR Rahman recreated the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed using AI for Rajinikanth's Lal Salaam.

AR Rahman Recreates Voices of Late Singers With AI.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/X)

Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman recently sparked controversy after he announced that he used AI (artificial intelligence) to recreate the voices of two iconic late singers, Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed, for a song titled 'Thimiri Yezhuda' in Rajinikanth's Lal Salaam.

The announcement left several fans divided on the internet. On 29 January, the singer gave clarification in another post, stating that he took permission from the families of the singers and also sent them remuneration.

Re-sharing Sony Music South’s post, which highlighted how an AI tool was used to recreate the late singers' voices, Rahman wrote on X, "We took permission from their families and sent deserving remuneration for using their voice algorithms ..technology is not a threat and a nuisance if we use it right…#respect #nostalgia"

Have a look at his tweet here:

While some users hailed Rahman for creating an example by utilising technology for "reviving" timeless voices, others called the move disrespectful and a hindrance to opportunities for upcoming talents in the music industry.

One of the users commented, "This sets a dangerous precedent, esp coming from someone like you. And what's with the 'nostalgia' hastag. If we want nostalgia we would go and listen their existing songs not make some AI assisted stuff."

"Technology when in safe hands can do wonders. Thanks to you Thalaivaa for taking the first step yet again to show how it should be done. Keep bringing back many many more timeless voices back to life," wrote another.

Have a look at some other reactions here: