It’s time for streaming services to act on AI music

This opinion piece, written by Ed Newton-Rex, CEO of the ethical generative AI non-profit Fairly Trained, argues that streaming services must take a stand on AI-generated music. Newton-Rex, a seasoned expert in generative AI and former VP of Audio at Stability AI, calls for decisive action against music created using unlicensed training data.

Newton-Rex highlights that AI-generated music products like Suno and Udio have been found to use copyrighted music without proper licensing, as revealed by recent lawsuits filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Both companies admitted to training their AI models on copyrighted recordings without permission from major record labels. Suno even acknowledged using "essentially all music files of reasonable quality accessible on the open internet."

According to Newton-Rex, this is an ethical and legal issue that streaming services can no longer ignore. He argues that platforms should either ban AI music created with unlicensed training data or reduce the royalties and recommendations for such tracks. The music industry, he says, must set clear boundaries to protect artists and ensure that AI-generated music adheres to copyright laws.

As the debate around AI and intellectual property grows, streaming services face a pivotal decision on what content they allow, especially as AI-generated music becomes more prevalent. It's time for the industry to act.