Czech ice dancers Kateřina Mrázková and Daniel Mrázek made their Olympic debut on Monday, an unfathomable feat that requires a lifetime of commitment and practice. But the sibling duo used AI music in their rhythmic dance routine, which doesn’t break any official rules, but serves as a depressing symbol of how utterly cooked we are.
As Mrazek spun his sister around in a crazy move that made them look superhuman, one of the NBC commentators casually mentioned, “This is AI generated, this first part,” referring to the music. Somehow, the admission is even more confusing than the gravity-defying tricks the siblings performed on the pressure of the Olympic ice.
The Olympic ice dance competition is divided into two events: the rhythm dance, where the pair must perform a routine that corresponds to a specific theme, and the free dance. This season’s theme is ’90s Music, Dance Styles and Feelings’. British ice dancing duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson paid tribute to the Spice Girls, while US favorites Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated to a Lenny Kravitz medley.
But for whatever reason – licensing issues? — Mrázková and Mrázek danced to a routine with music that is half AC/DC and half AI. It’s strange. Even more strangely, this isn’t the first use of artificial intelligence in the pair, nor is it the first time the choice has failed.
According to the International Skating Union, the governing body that oversees competitive skating, the duo’s choice of rhythm dance music for the season was “One Two by AI (90s Bon Jovi style)” and “Thunderstruck by AC/DC.” The official Olympics website confirms that the duo is using an AI-generated song for the rhythmic dance part.
The Czech siblings have previously faced backlash for using AI-generated music. Earlier in the season, they performed a ’90s-inspired song for their routine, which began with the wailing declaration, “Every night we smash a Mercedes Benz!” If that sounds familiar, that’s because the lyrics come straight from the 90s hit “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals (which, by the way, has an incredible music video shot in a Staten Island mall – the true essence of suburban America!).
The AI-generated lyrics also include the lines: “Wake up, kids/We’ve got the dreamer’s disease” and “First we run, then we laugh until we cry.” What a coincidence! These lyrics also appear in the song “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals. The AI song is even called “One Two” which is the first words… at this point you can probably guess what song.
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Before the Olympics, the duo changed the song, replacing the New Radicals lyrics with other AI-generated lyrics that sound suspiciously like Bon Jovi lyrics, as journalist Shana Bartels noted in November. For example, “raise your hands, light the night.” also appear in Bon Jovi’s “Raise Your Hands”… and the AI ”singer” sounds a lot like Bon Jovi. (I don’t want to rub salt in the wound, but “Raise Your Hands” isn’t even from the ’90s!) That was the music the duo danced to Monday at the Olympics before turning into AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” a real ’90s song written by real people.
While it’s unclear what software the team used to generate this music, this is LLM working as it should. These LLMs are trained at major music libraries, often through legally dubious means. When prompted, LLMs produce the statistically most likely response to the input. This is useful when writing code, but means that a “Bon Jovi-esque” song will probably end up using some actual Bon Jovi lyrics.
And yet the music industry seems to be, at least temporarily, enamored with the idea of ”musicians” who aren’t quite real. Telisha Jones, a 31-year-old in Mississippi, used Suno to set her (hopefully real) poetry to music under the persona of Xania Monet. He now has a record $3 million contract.
It’s a shame that the success of these Czech dancers in ice skating at the Olympics may be ruined by the discourse on the use of AI music (a discourse to which I actively contribute). But come on! Isn’t this sport supposed to be creative?