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Artificial intelligence has undoubtedly broadened the scope for anyone to do and become anything. From web developers and graphic designers to authors, many people these days, are exploring the possibilities of this new technology. The latest software, Suno AI, is supposedly helping people realize their rockstar dreams by making music creation accessible to everyone. In March, it released version 3, enabling people to create full, two-minute songs.
What is Suno AI?
Suno positions itself as an AI-powered tool turning ideas into fully realized songs while democratizing music production for people of all skill levels. The tool was developed by Anthropic, a firm that engineers secure AI technologies. The American startup company was reportedly founded by former members of OpenAI.
According to its website, the team consists of musicians and AI experts based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Personnel have come from places such as Meta, TikTok and Kensho, where the founding team worked together before starting Suno. The co-founders are Mikey Shulman, Georg Kucsko, Martin Camacho, and Keenan Freyberg.
Suno, meaning “listen” in Hindi, has been widely used since December 2023 after the launch of a web application and a partnership with Microsoft, which included Suno as a plugin in Microsoft Copilot. The startup has only been going since 2022 and has secured over $224 million in funding through 58 rounds, with participation from 135 investors, as reported by Dataconomy.
The partnership between Suno and Microsoft is significant, especially as leading tech giants like Meta and Google intensify their focus on consumer AI audio-generation technologies, often collaborating with niche music-tech enterprises. In a statement on Microsoft’s website, it said: “Through this partnership, people will have at their fingertips the ability, regardless of musical background, to create fun, clever, and personalized songs with a simple prompt.”

Make a song for a Sunday study session Anessa @FoodFinessa created ‘Sunday Serenade’ with v3 pic.twitter.com/OsR0vjff4Z
— Suno (@suno_ai_) March 24, 2024

Although creating new songs in the style of a specific artist might be “very cool and very interesting,” Suno’s CEO, Shulman, told Axios that he doesn’t believe such an experience will remain enjoyable for consumers over the long term.
“Most people don’t play an instrument or know complicated software, which up until now have been barriers to making beautiful music. Vocal music is [also] a really important ingredient in that, and it’s one of [Suno’s] differentiators.”
Is Suno AI free?
Suno AI offers a free plan in addition to pro and premier plans. The free plan provides 50 credits a day, equivalent to 10 songs, whereas the pro membership offers 2,500 credits per month or 500 songs. The premier plan includes 10,000 credits, or 2,000 songs, renewing monthly. The pro plan costs $8 per month, and the premier plan is $24 per month, with both plans billed annually.
A major difference between the free and paid tiers is that Suno AI retains the copyright of tunes created with the free plan, while users hold the rights for songs created with the paid plans. Creators also have the option to purchase extra credits. While the free plan allows for running two jobs simultaneously, the paid plans can run ten tasks at the same time.
The app is said to distinguish itself by offering complete songs that feature vocals and customization options, simplifying and enhancing the music-making process for everyone. It represents a glimpse into the future of musical innovation, where AI and human creativity come together to create new melodies. Regardless of one’s experience level, from hobbyist to professional, Suno says it gives people a chance to experiment with music creation.
The new version, released on March 21, is reported to have better audio quality, more styles and genres, as well as improved prompt adherence including fewer hallucinations and more graceful endings.

V3 IS HERE We are excited to introduce our first model capable of producing radio-quality music. v3 allows you to make full, 2 minute songs in seconds and is now available to all users. Try it for free here: https://t.co/s2hNzxc87W
Thank you to our Pro + Premier members; v3… pic.twitter.com/ZmRm8XnZcw
— Suno (@suno_ai_) March 21, 2024

Is Suno AI legal and who owns the rights to the music?
Shulman says the company wants to produce music legally and ethically, hence it prevents users from uploading other music as samples and pasting lyrics from someone else.
As a result, when typing in a query that includes an existing band name, such as “Write me a Radiohead song about AI,” the app denies the request and displays the following message: “Couldn’t generate that. Song description contained artist name: Radiohead.”
The co-founder also added that even if the model doesn’t recognize a name, “we wouldn’t want to infringe on his likeness.”
Regardless of the version of Suno used, users retain all ownership and rights to any original content they create and input into Suno including lyrics. Similarly, paying subscribers to Suno own the artwork that accompanies the songs they generate, subject to their compliance with Suno’s Terms of Service.
The website issues a disclaimer in terms of AI-generated images: “Remember that the nature of machine learning means that output may not be unique for every Suno user, especially if those users enter the same or similar prompts into Suno, and therefore the artwork generated for other Suno users’ songs may be similar or identical to the artwork generated for your songs.”
Another important aspect it raises is the fact that users may not have comprehensive copyright protection, hence it suggests members to “consult a qualified attorney to advise you about the latest development and the degree of copyright protection available for the output you generate using Suno.”
Featured image: Canva
The post What is Suno AI? The music generator making waves appeared first on ReadWrite.

New tech has the power to change our lives by making us more efficient, more productive, and happier. But how is evolving technology changing the funeral industry? And what new technologies are expected to change the way that we collectively mourn in the future?
The Promise of Technology in the Funeral Industry
When most people think about technological advancements, they think about them in the raw form. For example, they think about the coming technological singularity as AI advances to the point of overtaking human intelligence. They may also think of the medical industry where advanced imaging and robotics can impact the way we care for people.
Technology in the funeral industry has the potential for improving our lives in equal measure to the examples above. New tech gives us more options for funerals and mourning.
We’ll explore tech development in the funeral industry below.
3D Printing and Customization
According to In The Light Urns, one of the most important advancements in the funeral industry has been the rise of 3D printing. This allows for greater customization of cremation urns and other mementos and keepsakes.
In decades past, if you wanted a cremation urn, a piece of cremation jewelry, or some other memento or keepsake, you would have limited options available. In addition, you would only have a handful of providers to choose from.
These days, you can create almost any kind of urn, piece of jewelry, or memento you want either from a mold or from scratch. Customize your piece with engravings or by integrating existing physical objects into the design.
The process starts with a brainstorming session between the mourner/planner and an experienced 3D cremation urn designer. Once an idea starts to take form, it can be 3D modeled and previewed. After final adjustments are made, the finished urn can be fully 3D printed.
While there are limitations, it’s possible to 3D print urns in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. The power of customization makes these mementos and keepsakes more personal, while also giving consumers more autonomy and control. It opens the door to new paths of mourning and remembrance, enabling friends and family members to create a perfect, permanent artifact to celebrate their loved one’s life.
Video Broadcasts and Virtual Tours
Video broadcasts and virtual tours have also risen in popularity. Whether you’re touring a facility or a cemetery to see what’s available or virtually attending live services, you’ll have the option of feeling immersed in the experience without needing to leave your home.
This is one area where we expect profound developments in the near future, as VR headsets become less expensive, more impressive, and more commonplace. While not everyone is going to immediately adapt to the idea of throwing on a VR headset to attend a funeral, future generations may come to see it as normal.
Personalized Data, AI, and Recommendations
AI is advancing at impressive rates, greatly increasing our capacity to process and understand data. At the same time, software development companies and online brands are getting better at gathering and storing data on individuals.
The intersection of these two phenomena results in much more personalized recommendations, created by AI analytics. Instead of going into the decision-making process totally blind, consumers will be able to tap into a reservoir of personalized data to get recommendations based on their history, beliefs, budget, and other variables.
Obituary Writing
Many people find the responsibility of writing an obituary to be challenging. You want to cover the person’s greatest accomplishments and brightest personality traits, but the stress and emotional impact of mourning can make it hard to remember everything and produce your best work. People are turning to generative AI to assist with the obituary writing process, sometimes taking over the process entirely.
Today, it’s not especially hard to detect content written by AI. It tends to be highly repetitive, formulaic, and a bit stiff. But with some punch-ups from someone who truly knows the deceased, it can be much better.
In the future, AI writing may become indistinguishable from writing by the best human beings.
Management Systems
Many funeral homes and related businesses are integrating superior management systems, allowing them to gather more data from their consumers and streamline internal operations. This leads to smoother communications with clients, time savings in the form of automation, and in some cases, a greater range of capabilities.
Advanced management systems have also equipped smaller operations with the accessible resources they need to compete with bigger, more established businesses. It’s a relatively small investment that can instantly multiply your capabilities.
Online Options: Third Parties and Beyond
It’s easier than ever to start an online business, especially if you’re using advanced technology to empower that business. Accordingly, we’ve seen an explosion of new competitors in the death care and funeral industries. Instead of going directly to a funeral home for all your needs, you can do online research, browse products from dozens of providers, and utilize price transparency to make better decisions.
Competition is generally a good thing for consumers. It leads to a greater diversity of products and providers as well as lower prices. We can expect these trajectories to continue into the future, as the online presence of third-party offers increases.
Social Media and Interactions
Not everyone is thrilled about the current state of social media, but there’s no denying that it’s a powerful force. Already, this technology has offered new ways to engage with and mourn loved ones. You can turn a social media profile page into a memorial page and leave comments with your favorite memories.
In the future, this may evolve into a more advanced opportunity for engagement. Utilizing historical data from a person’s posts and other publicly available information, advanced AI could be able to replicate their writing style or even their personality traits. AI could successfully model what this person would have said in response to new events, or even model their entire personality in conversation. While some people will certainly find this off-putting, others will see it as a useful tool for processing grief and keeping a person’s memory alive.
Beyond Cremation
Cremation is popular because of its environmental friendliness, its inexpensiveness, and its relatively agnostic nature. In the future, we’ll likely see more funerary options, such as freezing or using the body to begin and support a thriving garden.
The Eternal Need for Empathy and Human Connection
Many of these technologies provide us with new options and offer services at heightened efficiency, but it’s important to recognize that there will always be a need for empathy and human connection in the funeral industry.
Mourners need genuine people to connect with, so businesses and organizations in the funeral industry won’t be able to rely entirely on automation and advanced tech to serve their consumers. The most successful death care and funeral businesses of the future will be the ones that can successfully combine the latest and greatest technologies with a thoughtful, genuine human touch.
The post How Will New Technology Change the Way We Mourn? appeared first on ReadWrite.