Google brings AI music generation to Gemini with Deepmind's Lyria 3

The feature is live today on desktop and hits the mobile app over the coming days, according to Google. It's open to all users 18 and over in eight languages, including German and English. Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers get higher usage limits. Google hasn't specified exactly which countries have access through the Gemini app.

When a user names a specific artist in their prompt, Gemini is supposed to treat their style as loose inspiration rather than copy it. Google says "Music generation with Lyria 3 is designed for original expression, not for mimicking existing artists," filters check generated tracks against existing content, and users can flag potential infringements. Every generated track gets a SynthID watermark to tag it as AI-generated.

AI music is getting too real to stay "just for fun"

Google is careful to address copyright concerns upfront, and there's good reason for that caution. The rapid progress in AI music generation and early streaming chart hits, along with lawsuits from Sony Music and other labels, show that AI music is already far more than a novelty. Google frames the feature as "for fun" and says it was "mindful" of copyrights and partner agreements when training Lyria 3. What that means in practice is unclear, since the company doesn't disclose specific training data or commercial deals.

OpenAI is reportedly building a music generator for ChatGPT. For now, Suno remains the only widely available high-quality option. Its competitor, Udio, was acquired by Universal late last year and is still available, but doesn't seem to be improving its platform anymore.