Zubeen’s voice to be digitally preserved to prevent tampering, unauthorised use

People close to singer Zubeen Garg have started working to digitally preserve his voice in order to stop future tampering or unauthorized usage as Assam mourns the loss of its “heartthrob.” Such digital preservation, according to Garg’s longtime collaborator and singer-composer Manas Robin, will guarantee that his voice is not misrepresented or exploited by AI-enabled or other technology.

“With technology making massive strides, especially with AI-generated software, it is very much possible that Zubeen’s voice samples taken from the internet could be used by other singers/ performers as their own in the future,” Robin told at Sarusajai stadium as he joined lakhs in paying homage to Garg on Monday.

“We will work on preserving Zubeen’s voice digitally and creating such a ‘digital signature’ that the moment his vocals are played, its origin can be detected,” he said.

Garg passed away in Singapore on Friday while swimming in the ocean. On Sunday, his dead remains arrived in Guwahati. On Tuesday, his final ceremonies will be held on the city’s outskirts with state honors.

Explaining the concept behind it, he said, “If a person’s face is super-imposed on the body of another person digitally, it can be detected. Similarly, systems are being developed where the origin of a voice can be traced to its digitally preserved version of the original person or singer.”

Robin, a filmmaker and well-known for his folk tunes, particularly Bihu numbers, claimed that Garg’s songs had already been preserved and that the singer had opened one just days before he passed away.

“Digital preservation of Zubeen’s work is already underway through his YouTube channel and other internet platforms. We also want to put a ‘digital signature’ to his voice so that no one can pass it off as their own in today’s world of AI-generated audios and videos,” he said.

“It will also ensure that no one can tamper with Zubeen’s voice,” he added.

Robin said the death of Garg has led people to ‘rediscover’ his songs and creations, not just in the state but globally.

“This outpouring of spontaneous grief, this gathering of lakhs of people to pay their respects has made the world sit up and take note of what Zubeen Garg meant for Assam and why,” he said.

The comfort with which Garg sang in high octave can be matched by only a few singers worldwide, Robin maintained. “Singers sing in high octave, but the pressure it puts on their voice can be detected. But with Zubeen, it came naturally,” he added.