AI policy revised by SoundCloud amid criticism: 'AI's role is to aid artists, not supplant them'
Salute there, mate! SoundCloud's big boss, Eliah Seton, is speakin' up about AI again, and it's a doozy! Seems like there was a bit of a ruckus over an update to their Terms of Use back in February, with some people thinkin' their tunes could be used to train AI without their consent.
Well, more fool them, according to Seton. He's made it clear that SoundCloud has never, and won't ever, use artist content to train those fancy AI models. No music creation, no large language models, nothin'. And third parties better not try to sneak in and steal SoundCloud's content for their own AI trainin' either.
Seton said it straight - "AI should support artists, not replace them." So, to set the record straight, he explained those pesky updates back in February were just meant to make things clearer about how they use AI internally to improve the platform for you. Stuff like smarter recs, better search, and fightin' fraud, mate.
Now, it's all about the consent. SoundCloud will only use AI-training on content if the artists give the okay, and that means an opt-in mechanism. It's all about makin' sure the artists are in control.
There's this thing called the Data (Use and Access) Bill that's hoppin' about in the UK care of the House of Lords right now. Basically, it's supposed to address how the government encourages a British AI industry without steppin' on creators' rights.
Chi Onwurah, the boss of the cross-party committee, told the Guardian that the government needs to show it's on the side of the people, especially when it comes to tech. Sounds like a wise man, doesn't he?
Now, this is all happening at a time when artists are speakin' out about companies exploitin' copyrighted works and warnin' against the "predatory" use of AI in music. Earlier this year, more than 200 artists signed an open letter, highlightin' the dangers of AI potentially dilutin' royalty pools and underminin' artists' livelihoods. Big, famous names like Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, and Frank Sinatra were among 'em.
They stressed the potential for AI to enhance human creativity, but warned against companies usin' it to sabotage creativity and undermine artists. The letter raised concerns about preexisting work bein' used to train AI models without permissions.
On the flipside, SoundCloud's new policy promises that any AI activity on their site will depend on artists' permission, transparency, and control. Sounds like a fair deal if ya ask me.
sources:1, 2, 3, 4.
Related Topics:
- AI
- Copyright
- Music
- Artificial Intelligence
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- Despite the concern over AI's potential to use music without consent, SoundCloud's CEO, Eliah Seton, has confirmed that their platform will only use AI-training on content if artists give their approval, ensuring they maintain control.
- The new policy from SoundCloud is a significant move in the ongoing debate about AI's relationship with entertainment and copyright, as it promises transparency and artist permission in any AI activity on their site, contrasting with the concerns raised by artists about pre-existing work being used without permission.
