These ice dancers skated to AI music at the Olympics
What's the story
Czech Republic's sibling ice dancing duo, Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek, made their Olympic debut on Monday. The pair performed a rhythm dance routine to a mix of AC/DC and AI-generated music. The choice of AI music has drawn criticism from fans and commentators alike. At the time of the performance, an NBC commentator said "this is AI generated," referring to the first part of their routine's music.
Controversial selection
AI music in ice dance
The Olympic ice dance competition consists of two events: the rhythm dance and free dance. This season's theme is "The Music, Dance Styles, and Feeling of the 1990s." However, Mrazkova and Mrazek chose a routine with music that was half AC/DC and half AI for their performance. The official Olympics website confirms that the duo used an AI-generated song for their rhythm dance segment.
Past incidents
Backlash over AI-generated song
This isn't the first time Mrazkova and Mrazek have faced backlash for using AI-generated music. Earlier in the season, they performed a 1990s-inspired song with lyrics directly lifted from New Radicals's hit You Get What You Give. The duo later changed their song before the Olympics, replacing the New Radicals lyrics with other AI-generated ones that sounded like Bon Jovi's.
Music industry impact
How is AI music generated?
The exact software used by the duo to generate this music remains unknown. However, large language models (LLMs) are commonly involved in AI music generation. These LLMs are trained on extensive libraries of music, usually through legally questionable methods. When prompted, they generate the most statistically probable response to an input, which can lead to songs "in the style of Bon Jovi" using some actual Bon Jovi lyrics.