Artists Rally Against AI Exploitation: A Call for Copyright Protections

Artists Unite Against AI Exploitation in Creative Industries

In a significant move, thousands of artists, including renowned musicians from the likes of ABBA, The Cure, and Radiohead, have come together to sign a powerful protest letter against the unauthorized use of their creative works in training artificial intelligence tools. This initiative highlights a growing concern in the creative community regarding the implications of AI technology on artistry.

The protest letter articulates a clear message: “The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.” This statement underscores the gravity of the situation faced by creators in various fields.

Among the prominent signatories are:

Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA
Robert Smith from The Cure
Thom Yorke and his fellow Radiohead bandmates
Esteemed composers John Rutter and Max Richter

The letter also garnered support from notable writers, including Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro, Emma Donoghue, Ian Rankin, James Patterson, Ted Chiang, and Joanne Harris. Additionally, actors such as Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Rosario Dawson, and Kate McKinnon have lent their voices to this cause.

Following the release of the statement, Gee Davy, the interim CEO for the Association of Independent Music, expressed support for the movement: “On behalf of the UK’s independent music community – businesses who are proud to work in partnership with artists – we support this statement from Fairly Trained.” He emphasized the need for strong copyright protections, stating, “To achieve the benefits of AI for creativity, we urge policymakers not to lose sight of the need for strong copyright protections. This is vital to ensure a healthy future for those who create, invest in, and release music across genres and all communities, regions, and nations of the UK.”

This recent statement comes in the wake of ongoing legal disputes between the creative sector and tech companies regarding the use of artistic works for training AI models like ChatGPT. Several artists have voiced their concerns over AI’s impact in their domains, including Nick Cave, who has previously criticized ChatGPT songwriting as “a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human” and described the ramifications of AI in music as “unbelievably disturbing.”

Earlier this year, a collective of over 200 artists, including icons such as Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, R.E.M., and the estates of Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra, featured in an open letter submitted by the Artist Rights Alliance. This letter urged artificial intelligence tech companies to cease practices that infringe upon the rights of human artists. It articulated, “Make no mistake: we believe that, when used responsibly, AI has enormous potential to advance human creativity and in a manner that enables the development and growth of new and exciting experiences for music fans everywhere. Unfortunately, some platforms and developers are employing AI to sabotage creativity and undermine artists, songwriters, musicians, and rightsholders.”

The letter further warned, “When used irresponsibly, AI poses enormous threats to our ability to protect our privacy, our identities, our music, and our livelihoods. This assault on human creativity must be stopped. We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.”

However, not all musicians are against the integration of AI in the music industry. Canadian electronic artist Grimes has suggested that streaming platforms like Spotify should include a dedicated section for AI-generated songs. She has even encouraged fans to utilize her voice “without penalty,” proposing to share royalties on any successful AI-generated tracks that feature her voice. Similarly, DJ David Guetta has been a vocal advocate for the use of AI tools in music creation. Meanwhile, legendary artist Nile Rodgers expressed to Euronews Culture that while replicating a person’s sound through AI is “horrible,” leveraging AI to “artistically express yourself and create better music is fantastic.”