I think David has nailed this pretty solidly with the legal angle. The current batch of online lyrics and music generators have effectively stolen words and music in huge amounts that they can then regurgitate in a "song" that cannot be easily detected as based on unlicensed (stolen) IP. Clearly BIAB and Synth V 1) have NOT stolen their source material and they 2) HAVE licensed it to me to freely use in my own songs. So, from a legal perspective, what I create with BIAB and Synth V are mine while songs created from current AI are NOT mine!

But what this perhaps does not resolve is the ethics of creating songs that are either expressly or implicitly presented as "mine" when, in fact, BIAB and Synth V did the majority of the heavy lifting to turn my rough idea into a commercial quality piece.

But when you start down that rabbit hole you have a myriad of possibilities. Is a drum VSTi valid or should I learn to play drums? Or should I hire a drummer? Are drums with polyester heads OK or should I only use heads made from animal skins? Is it OK to buy animal skin heads online or should I raise my own goats, skin them and make my own heads? And on and on! laugh

One final thought on David's legal argument...once the corporations get a handle on AI they will of course negotiate license terms. Once they do that the exact same (or better) AI tools will exist and now they will be as legal as BIAB and Synth V. But what about the ethics of "creating" legal AI songs vs. BIAB songs?

Excellent conversation BTW!