‘Last Beatles’ record ‘made using AI’, says Paul McCartney

Legendary singer-songwriter Sir Paul McCartney, famous for his time with The Beatles, recently discussed his innovative approach to music-making, revealing what he’s worked on to make what he refers to as the band’s “last record”. Employed artificial intelligence (AI). During an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, McCartney shared that he used AI to “extract” John Lennon’s voice from an old demo. Although the full song remains untitled, McCartney revealed that it is set for release later this year, and that its concept was inspired by Peter Jackson’s 2021 Beatles documentary Get Back.

Notably, the track features Lennon’s 1978 composition known as Now and Then.

This is the same song that was previously considered for a possible reunion for the band in 1995.

Sir Paul McCartney on “The Last Beatles Record”

Speaking to the BBC, McCartney revealed details of the song’s preparation, saying, “So when we came to make the last Beatles record, it was a demo that John had and we wanted to take John’s voice and refine it. This AI was able to. Then we can merge the records, as you would normally do. So that gives you some leeway.

Talking further about the future of AI-powered lyrics, McCartney said he isn’t on the internet much, but he is both scared and excited because “AI is the future.”

“It’s scary but exciting because this is the future. We’ll just have to see where it goes,” he said.

Use of AI in Music Industry

McCartney’s statement comes at a time when many artists are using AI to recreate their old albums. It has also emerged as a topic of debate in the industry, with many also denouncing the copyright issues in the latest songs. A number of fake songs have recently been sought to use AI voices from artists including Drake, Kanye West and Rihanna.