The artificial intelligence revolution never ceases to amaze us. Nowadays it seems it's possible to do almost anything with this technology, but there are still fields in which, although developers have been busy for years, are yet to be fully implemented in society.
One of these is music. Electronic songs have been using digitally created sounds for decades. Although there have been numerous tests and all kinds of experiments, the first singer created by artificial intelligence has not yet been verified.
Streaming on Spotify
Last month Spotify released songs with two AI-generated voices in a first for the streaming platform. The music was made by Spanish artist Pedro Sandoval, a pioneer in the use of this technique in art, film and now music.**
The singers are called ZKY-18 and Dirty Marilyn and, even though the sound of their song is reminiscent of many in the electronic genre, their voices are so real that they could perfectly match those of any singer currently recording. It's perhaps not surprising, because it's something they've been working on over the past three years.
"Together with Luis Miguel Martinez and Felipe Sandoval, I have created the first two digital voices using artificial intelligence," says Pedro Sandoval, who was one of the first visual artists to apply this technique to his work.
On this platform you can already listen to songs like 'Con mi mate llegó el sabor', 'La chica en la parada', 'El beso de la mujer araña', 'Chulapo de Madrid' or 'Buscando oro en tu corazón'. These are the first songs that the platform has certified and that have been developed in Spain.
Pedro Sandoval organised a big event last Saturday in Madrid where he officially presented the albums to international guests and personalities from the world of music and technology.
Who is Pedro Sandoval?
Pedro Sandoval is an internationally renowned artist, renowned for his innovation in contemporary art and his pioneering use of artificial intelligence as a creative tool. He was born in Venezuela and his talent was evident from childhood, when at the age of six he won the Young Master of the World award in Japan.
At the age of 13, he won a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship that allowed him to move to New York and study at Parsons School of Design. Throughout his career, he has exhibited his work in prestigious museums and galleries around the world, establishing himself as one of the most influential figures in art today.
Sandoval has been a staunch defender of artificial intelligence in the artistic field, considering it a tool that, when used well, allows for the expansion of creative possibilities without substituting the essence of the artist. Speaking to Euronews, he explains that the value of a work created with AI "depends on the instructions and refinement that the artist applies to the process".
In addition to his contribution to digital art, Pedro Sandoval emphasises the importance of cultural education for new generations. He considers it fundamental to rescue the artistic and historical legacy to prevent society from focusing solely on ephemeral trends.
He learned from figures such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, which has allowed him to fuse tradition with innovation, positioning himself as one of the most relevant voices in the debate on the future of art.
