Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj and others call for end to music AI
Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj are among 200 artists who are urging an end to the "predatory" use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the music industry.
In an open letter, they warned that ungoverned AI "will set in motion a race to the bottom". Katy Perry and the estate of Frank Sinatra also signed the letter.
Tech giants, including YouTube, have experimented with AI music-making tools. "We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal artistes' voices and likenesses," they stated, as per The BBC.
They further urged tech companies to commit to refraining from developing AI music-generation tools "that undermine or replace the human artistry of songwriters and artistes, or deny us fair compensation for our work."
In an open letter coordinated by the Artists' Rights Alliance and published on the long-form writing site Medium, the artistes assert that if AI is used irresponsibly, it will "infringe upon our rights and devalue the rights of human artists."
They expressed concern that the utilisation of artistes' work to train certain AI models and systems constitutes "an assault on human creativity" and cautioned that it is being employed to "violate creators' rights and dismantle the music ecosystem."
Tom Kiehl, interim head of the industry association UK Music, stated that he empathises with the concerns of artistes who fear their work is being utilised to train AI without their consent.
"This amounts to music laundering and any companies engaged in these practices must stop and take a more responsible approach to our music industry," he explained.
"Ensuring artistes have given their consent and receive appropriate credit and compensation for the use of their work on AI systems must be the foundation to a more responsible approach," he advised.
Artistes from various creative fields and musical genres have voiced their concerns about the use of AI in recent months. This comes after a song, that employed AI to replicate the voices of Drake and The Weeknd, gained viral popularity online.
Drake expressed his disapproval of a song that closely resembled him, although it was actually created using AI voice cloning tools. The track appeared on Spotify and Apple Music briefly before being swiftly removed.
Other artists have since expressed their views on the matter, with Sting informing the BBC that he perceives musicians to be engaged in a "battle" to safeguard their work from the proliferation of songs composed by AI. "The building blocks of music belong to us, to human beings," he remarked.
However, not all musicians are opposed to advancements in AI or its utilisation in the music industry. Electronic artiste Grimes and DJ David Guetta are among those who support the use of such AI tools.
Grimes has even encouraged her fans and aspiring musicians to use her voice "without penalty" and has stated her willingness to share royalties for successful AI-generated tracks featuring her voice.