A new tool in development would allow users to create music from prompts—signaling OpenAI’s next move into creative AI.
A new frontier for generative AI: music
OpenAI is reportedly developing a generative music tool that transforms text and audio prompts into music, according to The Information. While details are still under wraps, the tool could dramatically expand how creators produce and integrate music into digital content.
What the tool could do
- Soundtracking made simple: One proposed use is adding music to existing videos automatically, potentially revolutionizing how creators on platforms like YouTube and TikTok edit content.
- Collaborative composition: The tool might also allow users to add instruments, such as guitar accompaniment to vocals, enabling rich, AI-assisted musical collaborations.
- Prompt-based creativity: If it mirrors other OpenAI tools, users may simply type a mood, genre, or scenario—e.g., “upbeat funk for a travel vlog”—and receive a customized soundtrack.
Training the AI with expert input
- Working with Juilliard students: OpenAI is reportedly collaborating with students from the Juilliard School to annotate musical scores. This provides the model with high-quality, human-curated training data.
- Score annotation helps context: Annotated scores give the AI more than raw sound—they teach structure, nuance, and intention, which are crucial for musical quality and coherence.
OpenAI’s track record in audio
- Previous music models: While OpenAI has experimented with music generation in the past, those models launched before ChatGPT and received limited attention.
- Recent focus: More recently, the company has invested in audio models like Whisper (speech-to-text) and tools for text-to-speech, suggesting that music generation is a natural next step in its audio expansion.
- Tool integration likely: It remains unclear whether this music tool will stand alone or integrate into platforms like ChatGPT or Sora, OpenAI’s video generation app.
The competition is heating up
- Not alone in the space: OpenAI is entering a competitive field. Companies like Google (with MusicLM) and Suno already offer AI music generation platforms.
- Differentiator: usability and integration: OpenAI’s advantage may lie in seamless user experience and multi-modal integration—using a single platform for text, images, audio, and video.
Implications for creators and musicians
- Faster production workflows: Video editors, streamers, and podcasters could create royalty-free, tailored music without needing deep musical expertise.
- Concerns for composers: As with other creative AI tools, this may raise concerns about the impact on human musicians, particularly in commercial composing and scoring.
- Ethical and copyright questions: The tool’s training data, usage permissions, and ownership rights over AI-generated music will be key legal and ethical issues to watch.
OpenAI is developing a generative music tool that turns text or audio prompts into full musical compositions. With potential uses in video editing and collaborative songwriting, the tool could be integrated into ChatGPT or Sora, marking a significant push into creative audio AI.
