India, May 25 -- Ushering in a new phase for the industry, singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan used artificial intelligence (AI) to compose a new track, Rubaroo. The creation process was showcased virtually during Google's annual I/O developer conference in California (US). "We were able to bring together a beautiful Sufi melody with a contemporary track. For a musician, it's such an inspiring tool," says the 58-year-old, who created the track in his Mumbai studio using Sandbox, in collaboration with YouTube and Google Lab. However, the Grammy winner is quick to draw a line between assistance and replacement: "There's a thought that AI will replace musicians and singers. But there's nothing to fear. Human intelligence, when working with AI, can achieve wonders." Describing AI as a "friend and personal assistant," Shankar explains that it serves as a trigger for ideas rather than a creator of finished music: "It offers suggestions, like a line or a tune, which the artiste can then build upon. But the final call must always be made by the human." Reflecting on the evolution of technology in music, he states, "50 years ago when synthesizers came in, or recently when programming software took over, musicians had the same fear. But we have remained irreplaceable."...