Reviving the Past: Paul McCartney's Use of AI to Complete the Final Beatles Record

Former Beatle Paul McCartney recently revealed that he has used artificial intelligence (AI) to create what he calls "the final Beatles record." McCartney said he worked with AI to "extricate" the voice of late bandmate John Lennon from an old demo recording so that McCartney could complete the song. While McCartney did not disclose the name of the song, it is likely to be a 1978 Lennon composition called Now And Then.

Now And Then was originally considered as a potential "reunion song" for the Beatles back in 1995 when the band was compiling their Anthology album series. McCartney had received the demo of the unfinished song from Lennon's widow Yoko Ono a year earlier. The demo was one of several that Lennon had recorded in his New York City apartment shortly before his death in 1980. The lo-fi, piano-based demos were recorded onto a cassette tape that Lennon had labeled "For Paul."

In 1995, Beatles producer Jeff Lynne had attempted to complete Now And Then by recording new instrumentation and backing vocals to go along with Lennon's original vocal track. However, that effort was quickly abandoned after just one afternoon session. At the time, Lynne cited issues with the quality of Lennon's vocal demo as well as the lack of completed verses for the song.

Over the years, McCartney has frequently expressed a desire to finish Now And Then. He has said that recent advances in AI audio processing technology have finally enabled him to isolate Lennon's voice from the demo. Specifically, McCartney pointed to the work of dialogue editor Emile de la Rey on Peter Jackson's recent Beatles documentary Get Back. De la Rey used AI to separate the individual Beatles' voices and instruments from the original recordings.

AI Allows Creative Possibilities for Artists

McCartney explained that by using similar AI tools, he was able to remove the background noise and isolation hum from Lennon's vocal demo. This gave him a clean vocal track to work with. McCartney said he and producer Jeff Lynne were then able to complete the song's instrumentation and backing vocals. He indicated the completed track will be released sometime this year.

While the use of AI to posthumously duet with Lennon or complete unfinished Beatles songs may seem controversial to some, McCartney believes it also opens up exciting creative possibilities. The technology has advanced to the point where vocals can be convincingly isolated and cleaned up. This allows artists to effectively collaborate across time.

However, McCartney did acknowledge potential downsides, noting that some people are using AI to generate fake songs incorrectly attributed to artists like Lennon. He said it is an emerging issue that raises ethical questions about how AI should be utilized in music. Yet he remains optimistic about using technology ethically and creatively.

In the case of Now And Then, McCartney is not fabricating a new Lennon vocal. He is completing a song Lennon originally composed and recorded himself. This approach seems to strike an appropriate balance - using AI technology to allow old creative partnerships to responsibly produce art they were unable to finish during their careers.

Rather than replace human creativity, in instances like this, AI enables artists to overcome barriers like poor recording quality that prevented past collaborations. The technology opens up new possibilities to expand an existing body of creative work.

Still, safeguards may be needed as AI continues to evolve. Artists must maintain control over their legacies and ensure fans can distinguish when AI is used to organically further an unfinished work versus wholly fabricating "new" performances without consent.

McCartney finishing Now And Then with Lennon's vocal is arguably the former - an exciting late-career collaboration made possible by technology. However, the line between using AI responsibly and unethically may blur as the technology advances. Maintaining artistic integrity while embracing innovation will be an ongoing balancing act.

For now, McCartney's project will give Beatles fans one last posthumous gift crafted by two of the band's foundational creative forces. Time will tell if this is a unique case study in using AI artfully or the start of a more common trend as other artists follow suit.