An ice dance duo skated to AI music at the Olympics
SMRTR summary
Czech ice dancers Kateřina and Daniel Mrázek made their Olympic debut Monday performing gravity-defying moves to a soundtrack that was half AC/DC, half artificial intelligence. The sibling duo used AI-generated music for their rhythm dance routine, prompting an NBC commentator to note matter-of-factly that the opening segment was computer-created.
This season's Olympic ice dance theme celebrates 1990s music, leading most competitors to choose iconic hits like the Spice Girls or Lenny Kravitz. But the Czech pair opted for AI music that sounds suspiciously like existing songs, including lyrics that mirror New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" and Bon Jovi tracks.
The duo has faced criticism before for similar choices. Their earlier AI song included the line "Every night we smash a Mercedes-Benz!" which comes directly from the New Radicals hit. While their music choice doesn't violate official rules, it highlights how AI systems trained on existing music libraries often reproduce copyrighted material when prompted to create songs "in the style of" famous artists.
The controversy overshadows what should be a celebration of athletic artistry at the highest level.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to TechCrunch.
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