BILLIE Eilish and Nicki Minaj are among 200 artists calling for an end to the “predatory” use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the music industry. In an open letter also signed by Katy Perry and Frank Sinatra’s heir, they warned that AI would degrade the quality of music if left to its own devices.
“We must protect ourselves from the predatory use of AI to steal artists’ voices and likenesses,” said the artists, reported by the BBC, Wednesday (3/4).
They asked tech companies to pledge not to develop AI music-making tools that undermine or replace the human artistry of songwriters and artists, or deny fair compensation to arts workers.
In an open letter organized by the Artists’ Rights Alliance campaign group and posted on the Medium website, the artists said that AI would violate the rights and undermine the rights of human artists if used irresponsibly.
They say the use of artists’ work to train some AI models and systems is an attack on human creativity. They also warn that AI is being used to violate creators’ rights and destroy the music ecosystem.
The interim head of the UK Music Industry Association, said he shared the concerns of artists who fear their work is being used to train AI without permission.
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“This is tantamount to music laundering and any company engaging in these practices must stop and take a more responsible approach to our music industry,” he said.
“Ensuring artists have given their consent and received appropriate credit and compensation for the use of their work on AI systems should be the basis for a more responsible approach,” he added.
Artists’ Concerns about AI
Artists across creative disciplines and genres have spoken out about the use of AI in recent months, after a song that used AI to imitate Drake and The Weeknd’s voices went viral online.
Also read: Meta Launches MusicGen, Creates Music from Text
Drake voiced his disapproval over a song that sounded very similar to him – but was actually created using an AI voice cloning tool – and appeared on Spotify and Apple Music before being suddenly pulled.
Other artists have also spoken out on the matter, with Sting telling the BBC that he believes musicians face a “battle” to defend their work against the rise of AI-written songs.
“The elements that make up music belong to us, to humans,” he said.
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But not all musicians are against the development or use of AI throughout the music industry. Electronic artist Grimes as well as DJ David Guetta are among those who support the use of AI tools.
Grimes even encouraged fans and budding musicians to use their voices without penalty and said that she would share royalties for songs created by AI using her voice.
(Z-9)
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