YouTube introduces free AI Tool for generating background music for videos

YouTube has launched a new free AI-powered tool that enables users to generate original instrumental background music for their videos, helping creators avoid copyright issues. This feature, demonstrated in a video on YouTube's Creator Insider channel, is part of YouTube’s Creator Music beta section.

The new tool, called Music Assistant, allows users to provide prompts such as “Uplifting music for a workout montage” or “Calm and peaceful music with acoustic guitar and flowing piano.” In response, the AI generates multiple instrumental tracks that users can review and download for use in their videos.

Creator Music, which debuted in 2023, has already provided a commercial music licensing service to help creators find suitable music for their videos. However, with the introduction of Music Assistant, YouTube now offers a free alternative, expanding the options available to creators.

This new AI music tool adds to a growing list of similar AI-powered services. Notable competitors include Stability AI’s diffusion model for creating background audio and Meta’s open-source AudioCraft and MusicGen models, which generate sounds from user prompts. Additionally, YouTube has previously experimented with AI music features, such as a music remixer for Shorts and Dream Track, which allows users to hum and convert songs into tracks styled after popular artists like T-Pain.

As AI continues to transform the creative industry, YouTube’s new tool offers a unique and accessible way for creators to enhance their videos with original, copyright-free music.