Topline
Hundreds of artists including legendary musicians Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and the estates of Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra on Tuesday signed an open letter from the Artist Rights Alliance calling on the developers of artificial intelligence technologies to stop training copycat programs and using AI-produced sounds to “dilute the royalty pools” paid to artists for their work.
Kacey Musgraves performs at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on Feb. 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Key Facts
The letter, first published by Variety, accused AI developers, tech companies and digital music platforms of working to “infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists” by using AI to replace the work of songwriters and musicians.
The letter said developers are using existing music to train AI models to create songs, sounds and images “directly aimed at replacing the work of human artists,” and that the inclusion of AI-generated material in the music industry dilutes the royalty payments given to artists for their work.
If left unregulated, the artists warned AI will “degrade the value of our work and prevent us from being fairly compensated for it.”
The letter calls for AI developers to pledge they will not develop technology that generates AI music or works to replace the contributions of human songwriters and singers.
The musicians who signed on include Jon Bon Jovi, Billie Eilish, Brothers Osborne, Camila Cabello, Zayn Malik, Jason Isbell, Katy Perry, Miranda Lambert, Nicki Minaj, Noah Kahan, Imagine Dragons, Rosanne Cash, and more than 100 others.
Crucial Quote
“This assault on human creativity must be stopped,” the letter reads. “We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.”
Key Background
The use of artificial intelligence in creative industries has been a hot-button issue of late and was a major sticking point for actors and writers who walked out of studios for months last summer to demand their jobs be protected from automated replacements. Hollywood screenwriters were on strike for 148 days before coming to a deal that banned AI-generated material from being used to “undermine a writer’s credit or separate rights.” The agreement doesn’t prohibit the use of all artificial intelligence, the Associated Press reported, but does stop companies or studios from requiring writers to use it. Members of the SAG-AFTRA union were on strike for even longer, arguing that generative AI had the power to replace extras in films and could be used to shoot or re-shoot scenes that once required an in-person actor. Ultimately, the actors union agreed to terms that included limits on how AI could be used and saw studios promise to compensate actors whose digital likeness is used as if they’d worked on set. Companies also promised to negotiate new permissions for every new project using a likeness, PBS reported. Despite the strike-ending agreements struck last fall, experts warn the true implications of artificial intelligence in creative fields are still largely unknown.
Surprising Fact
A British stage performer last week said she’s already been replaced on a job by artificial intelligence. Sara Poyzer, who stars in the “Mamma Mia!” stage musical, posted to X last month that a production company for the BBC told her she was no longer needed on a project because the BBC approved the use of an AI-generated voice to take her place. Poyzer tweeted a screenshot of an email with the news alongside the caption “Sobering…” and was met with immediate support and outrage by fans and fellow artists. The BBC later said it is using AI for a “highly sensitive documentary” to recreate the voice of a person who is dying, at the wishes of the subject’s family. The broadcaster said the use of the generated voice will be “clearly labeled within the film,” Deadline reported.
Tangent
Several artificial intelligence companies have already been slapped with lawsuits by creators who say their work is being used to train AI softwares without their permission. Authors Brian Keene, Abdi Nazemian, and Stewart O’Nan sued Nvidia several weeks ago, claiming their books were used to help the NeMo AI platform learn to write. In July, comedian Sarah Silverman filed a lawsuit against OpenAI claiming her book was used to train bots that summarize texts. Margaret Atwood, James Patterson and Suzanne Collins were among thousands of authors who signed a letter last year calling for AI companies to stop using their work to train AI platforms without their consent.
What To Watch For
Legal regulations. Several states and Congress have started to explore new laws surrounding the use of AI-generated material, specifically if such work can be copywritten and, if so, who should be considered its creator. The U.S. Copyright Office last year launched an initiative to explore policy issues raised by artificial intelligence, including how copyrighted materials can be used in training AI software. In March, Tennessee lawmakers passed a law called the ELVIS Act that aims to protect musicians from voice clones and other infringements on their likeness. The law makes it illegal to use AI to mimic an artist’s voice without their permission.
Further Reading
Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
