OpenAI’s new AI tool: From ChatGPT to music studio

OpenAI is set to increase its presence with a new artificial intelligence tool currently under development, likely to generate music from text and audio prompts. Information and industry analysts suggest that the company is developing a system that will enable users to produce full songs, including vocals and instrumentals, by simply describing the mood, style, and components they desire. This project may make music production quicker, simpler, and more accessible to all. This aspiration indicates the plan of OpenAI to expand beyond the chatbot services of ChatGPT and address the growing demand of AI-generated creative products. The company has seen its way to the marketing, content creation, and entertainment market, whereby custom music is created within a short time, either to be used in videos or advertisements.

Training data and the role of human expertise

OpenAI has been working with students at Juilliard, one of the world's best music conservatories, to develop an AI capable of comprehending the complexity of music. Such students are also assisting with writing musical notation, which gives the AI profound insight into the structure, emotion, and technical aspects of musical pieces. For example, the system may allow a user to add guitar accompaniment to a vocal track or even create custom soundtracks tailored to videos. “By involving artists and students, OpenAI is teaching its models to think musically, not just computationally,” said Oskar Young, a digital music researcher who frequently shares updates about generative AI on X.

Expanding creative tools to drive user engagement: Google and OpenAI 

The music tool that OpenAI is developing aligns with the firm's overall goal of going beyond text and chat. As ChatGPT currently has an audience of more than 800 million users worldwide, OpenAI will find new opportunities to keep people engaged and add value to creative professionals, marketers, and ordinary storytellers. Personalised AI-generated music would allow advertisers to create custom jingles and content creators to create background music for campaigns faster than ever before.

It is not the only one to venture into this space with OpenAI. In recent years, Google has introduced its second-generation music model, Lyria, indicating that the company will be more competitive in AI-driven music generation. Previously, MuseNet (2019) and Jukebox (2020) by OpenAI gave previews of these features, but were not widely implemented or as easy to access as new tools may make it sound. The recent introduction of OpenAI Sora, a video creation/creation app, achieved more than 1 million downloads within 5 days, and shows that customers are willing to purchase creative products powered by artificial intelligence in media.

Potential impact and industry perspective

Industry experts are confident that using AI-based music creation will reduce barriers to entry for independent musicians and business teams. It is, however, stressed that human guidance is at the core of retaining originality and emotional richness. Although OpenAI has yet to announce the release schedule publicly, its ambitions indicate a new wave of music and multimedia creation. By integrating AI with musical knowledge, the company is inviting more people to participate in artistic production. As a professional composer or an amateur creator, the new generation of AI-based tools can reshape the process of creating music and content.