Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

The Beatles Will Release a 'Final Record' Made With AI, Paul McCartney Says McCartney, one of the two living Beatles members, said during an interview that artificial intelligence was used to include the late John Lennon's voice in a track.

By Madeline Garfinkle

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Harry Durrant | Getty Images
Paul McCartney said the new Beatles song, made with the help of AI, will be released this year.

While some artists are vehemently against the use of artificial intelligence in art, others are leaning into the technology's capabilities to create what otherwise wouldn't be possible.

During an interview with BBC released on Tuesday, Paul McCartney said the "last Beatles record" will be released as soon as this year. While McCartney, 80, along with Ringo Starr, 82, are the only two living Beatles members, the late John Lennon will appear on the new track — thanks to artificial intelligence.

McCartney said an old demo of Lennon's voice was "extricated" and then mixed with the record.

"When we came to make what will be the last Beatles record, it was a demo that John had, that we worked on," McCartney said in the interview. "We were able to take John's voice and get it pure through this A.I., so then we could mix the record, as you would normally do."

Related: 'Biggest Risk of Artificial Intelligence': Microsoft's President Says Deepfakes Are AI's Biggest Problem

McCartney didn't give any hints regarding the title or lyrics of the song, but he did say that it will be "released this year."

As far as the broader implications of the technology, McCartney voiced both excitement and apprehension.

"It's kind of scary but exciting because it's the future," he said. "We'll just have to see where that leads."

Holly Tessler, a senior lecturer on the Beatles at the University of Liverpool, told the New York Times that using the late Lennon's voice for a new track creates an "ethical gray area."

"We have absolutely no way of knowing, creatively, if John were alive, what he'd want to do with these or what he'd want his contribution to be," she said.

Related: A 'Fake Drake' Song Using Generative AI Was Just Pulled From Streaming Services

Madeline Garfinkle

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Now that OpenAI's Superalignment Team Has Been Disbanded, Who's Preventing AI from Going Rogue?

We spoke to an AI expert who says safety and innovation are not separate things that must be balanced; they go hand in hand.

Franchise

What Franchising Can Teach The NFL About The Impact of Private Equity

The NFL is smart to take a thoughtful approach before approving institutional capital's investment in teams.

Employee Experience & Recruiting

Beyond the Great Resignation — How to Attract Freelancers and Independent Talent Back to Traditional Work

Discussing the recent workplace exit of employees in search of more meaningful work and ways companies can attract that talent back.

Business News

Scarlett Johansson 'Shocked' That OpenAI Used a Voice 'So Eerily Similar' to Hers After Already Telling the Company 'No'

Johansson asked OpenAI how they created the AI voice that her "closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference."

Business Ideas

Struggling to Balance Your Business and Your Relationship? This Company Says It Has a Solution.

Jessica Holton, co-founder and CEO of Ours, says her company is on a mission to destigmatize couples therapy so that people can be proactive about relationship health.

Marketing

Marketing Campaigns Must Do More than Drive Clicks — Here's How to Craft Landing Pages That Convert Clicks into Customers

Following fundamental design principles will ensure that your landing pages lead potential customers from clicking on an ad to completing a purchase.