Bloomberg — Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) Google and Apple Inc. (AAPL) add generative AI functions focused on music to its mainstream consumer applications, highlighting how advanced AI tools are entering mainstream use.
Google Assistant Gemini AI can now create 30-second music tracks based on text, photos or videos uploaded by users with the latest model Lyria 3 by Google DeepMind, the company said in a blog post this Wednesday. A feature that can create custom lyrics or purely instrumental audio will be available for users over 18 in multiple languages. According to the company, it is being rolled out to the desktop version of Gemini and will be coming to the mobile app in the coming days.
His popular image creation model, Nano Banana will also create custom covers next to the track, which will add a visual element when users share track links with others, Google explained.
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Adding audio creation tools to its mobile app could potentially bolster Google’s consumer offering as it continues to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT to win over users. Google received widespread praise from investors and users for its Gemini 3 AI model released in November, prompting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to issue a “code red” for faster improvements to ChatGPT.
On the other hand, this week Apple has said that consumers will soon be able to use AI to create playlists in Apple Music. The feature, called Playlist Playground, uses Apple Intelligence to allow people to convert text prompts into playlists that will include cover art, descriptions and 25 songs. It’s included in iOS 26.4, which launched in beta on Monday and will become more widely available this spring. Apple Music’s new feature rivals a similar one offered by Spotify Technology SA (THE STAIN).
Spotify shares briefly erased gains after Google’s announcement. Shares of Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI) fell similarly. “We don’t expect this to be a turning point for Spotify” Bloomberg Intelligence analysts wrote in a note on Wednesday. “However, we believe these moves could force Spotify to launch a mixing feature soon.”
AI laggard Apple has been working to add more AI features to its apps and devices, including the recently launched Creator Studio software suite. But some long-awaited updates to Siri’s virtual assistant may be delayed beyond their first announcement in 2024, Bloomberg News reported last week.
Read more: Apple’s creative apps merge into Creator Studio: Will they compete with Adobe?
Google, for its part, is working to show investors that its investments in AI-powered products can help boost revenue. For such launches, this means that the product is not completely free. Just as Gemini imposes a daily image creation limit, users of the free product can create 10 themes per day, while paying users get between 20 and 100 daily depending on the subscription level plan. Users will have the right to use the tracks they create, according to the company, which adds that it has filters to compare the results with existing content so they don’t violate intellectual property or privacy rules.
Generative AI tools have been met with suspicion, and sometimes hostility, by the music industry, which sees some of these technologies as a threat to its business and its intellectual property. In 2024, Universal Music Group NV, Warner Music Group Corp. and Sony Music Entertainment sued startup Suno AI and Uncharted Labs Inc, developer of Udio AI, for copyright infringement. Warner Music has since reached an agreement with Suno, and Suno and Universal Music have reached agreements with Udio to allow the program to operate with proper licensing and controls.
See more: Google Gemini accesses email, photos and search to personalize responses
Google states in a blog post that It has safeguards that prevent artificial intelligence from stealing content from certain artists. When users nominate real musicians, Gemini will simply take that as “broad creative inspiration and create a track that shares a similar style or mood,” he added.
“Our Lyria 3 training is designed to use music that YouTube and Google have the right to use in accordance with our terms of service, partner agreements and applicable law,” added a company spokesperson.
Read more at Bloomberg.com
