Google has announced a significant update to its Gemini app, introducing a music-generation feature powered by DeepMind’s advanced Lyria 3 model. The new capability, currently in beta, allows users to create original music tracks complete with lyrics directly from text prompts.
The feature is rolling out globally to all Gemini users over 18, supporting multiple languages including English, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.
From Prompt to Playlist
Users can now describe the song they envision, and the Gemini app will generate a 30-second track, accompanied by AI-generated cover art. Prompts can be as creative as a “comical R&B slow jam about a sock finding its match.”
Beyond text, the tool can also generate a song that matches the mood of an uploaded photo or video, offering a new dimension for content creation. Users retain creative control, with options to adjust the style, vocals, and tempo of the generated music.
Powered by Lyria 3
The integration is powered by DeepMind’s Lyria 3, a next-generation model designed to produce more complex and realistic music. Addressing concerns around AI-generated content, Google has confirmed that all tracks created with Lyria 3 will be embedded with a SynthID watermark.
This technology allows for the identification of AI-generated music. Gemini will also be able to analyze uploaded audio tracks to determine if they were created by AI, promoting transparency in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Implications for the MENA Creator Economy
For the burgeoning creator economy across the MENA region, the global rollout of this feature presents a powerful new tool. Content creators in markets like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt can now produce royalty-free, custom background music for videos, podcasts, and social media content without needing musical expertise or expensive licensing.
This democratization of music production could lower the barrier to entry for aspiring creators and enable established ones to enhance their content with unique, AI-generated soundscapes. As platforms like YouTube and TikTok dominate the region’s media consumption, access to such tools directly within widely-used apps could accelerate content innovation and quality.
Navigating a New Musical Landscape
While Google states the feature is designed for original expression and not for mimicking specific artists, it acknowledges that naming an artist in a prompt will inspire a track in a similar style. The company has filters to check outputs against existing content, but the move comes amidst a broader industry debate.
AI-generated music has drawn both excitement and scrutiny, with platforms exploring monetization while the music industry raises concerns over copyright infringement related to training data.
About Google
Google is a global technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. It is considered one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.
Source: TechCrunch
