A. R. Rahman clarifies using AI to recreate voices of late singers Bamba Bakya, Shahul Hameed

Oscar-winning music composer A. R. Rahman, who used the artificial intelligence for recreating the voices of late playback singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for the song titled ‘Thimiri Yezhuda’ from the Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Lal Salaam’ has issued a clarification with regards to the usage of the AI tool and the compensation to the singer’s families.

The ‘Rang De Basanti’ composer took to his X, erstwhile Twitter and penned a note for his followers who questioned the dependence on AI for recreation of the voices of the departed singers.

He shared Sony Music South’s post highlighting how an AI tool was used to recreate the late singers' voices. He wrote, "We took permission from their families and sent deserving remuneration for using their voice algorithms...technology is not a threat and a nuisance if we use it right.”

He also added the hashtags respect and nostalgia in the post.

Bamba Bakya, who collaborated with Rahman on many songs, passed away in 2022 due to a cardiac arrest. Shahul Hameed died in a car crash in 1997, near Chennai.

While many users on the Internet supported the use of AI, a section of users also called the gesture disrespectful as they felt that over-dependence on AI reduces opportunities for upcoming talents in the industry.