Barring unforeseen circumstances, Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek are not in position to medal at the Winter Olympics in Italy. However, the Czech figure skating (ice dancing) duo is at the center of controversy.
They used A.I.-generated music during the rhythm dance competition.
To make matters worse, Mrazkova and Mrazek had to change their song for the Olympics because their original song was plagiarize. It stole lyrics from the New Radicals— bar for bar.
A.I. is allowed at the Olympics.
Before we go any further, I must first explain the difference between figure skating and ice dancing. Even though they are considered the same thing by 99.99% of the world, they are not the same thing.
Figure skating emphasizes high-flying acrobatic elements like overhead lifts and side-by-side jumps. Ice dancing is more like ballroom dancing on ice. It focuses more on intricate footwork, rhythm, and partner closeness. There are no jumps.
Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek are ice dancers. They technically are not figure skaters. I digress.
The ice dancing competition at the Winter Olympics is split into two different categories: the rhythm dance and the free dance. Free dance allows for open-choice music. Rhythm dance requires competitors to perform to a specific pre-determined music style and tempo.
This year’s theme is the 1990s.
For example, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France danced to Madonna. Their routine went super viral on social media.
Here is where it gets interesting.
Music created through artificial intelligence “in the style of the 1990s” is also permitted by the International Skating Union. It is the easiest way to avoid any copyright restrictions. Most teams choose to go with real music. Mrazkova and Mrazek went with A.I.
Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek plagiarized their original song.
The brother-sister team from Czechia performed the majority of their rhythm dance to a version of ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC. For example:
However, the second half of their program is generated by artificial intelligence. Viewers at home were shocked to hear the commentator reveal the truth.
I cannot share a video of Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek’s performance at the Olympics because of media rights but I was watching the event live. I can confirm the second half was not a real song!
And get this—
The A.I.-generated song at the Olympics was different than the A.I.-generated song from earlier in the season. The original song was plagiarized, word for word, from The New Radicals’ smash hit ‘You Get What You Give’ in the style of AC/DC. This was from back in November:
Unfortunately, Mrazkova and Mrazek still decided to go with A.I. after they got caught being shady last year. Fortunately, they are not relevant in the standings so we don’t have to celebrate their success.
The ice dancing team sits in 16th place after the rhythm dance and do not have a shot at a medal, even with a flawless performance in the free dance. Serves them right.