The history of technology is a testament to human progress, with each remarkable advancement offering immense possibilities and raising crucial questions.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no exception, with great promise and potential unintended consequences. Music, often at the forefront of technological adoption, provides a unique lens through which to examine AI’s impact.
On one hand, AI has enabled remarkable creative collaborations and innovations in music, such as fans generating new songs using artist replicas and posthumous biopics featuring perfect replicas of late stars.
Artificial Intelligence (Credits: Corporate Finance Institute)
On the other hand, AI raises concerns about artists’ rights, with issues like scraping and copying creative works and the rise of deep fakes, where artists’ voices, faces, and identities are appropriated without consent.
The stark contrast between AI’s positive and negative uses in music represents two alternate versions of the future, with artists at the forefront.
The Broader Implications of Deep Fake Technology
Deep fakes extend beyond music, impacting individuals from all walks of life, including politicians, families, and schoolchildren. Currently, no comprehensive federal law protects individuals’ identities from unauthorized use.
To address this, we must prioritize consent, monetization, attribution, and provenance. Individuals must provide consent for their likeness and voice rights to be used in AI models.
These rights should be subject to free-market licenses, ensuring fair compensation. AI models must identify outputs through labels and watermarks, which must be recognized by all distribution platforms. Additionally, AI developers must maintain detailed records of training materials to enable rights enforcement.
I am honored to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property regarding the NO FAKES Act proposal, aimed at defending unique human identities.
AI (Credits: Live Science)
The No AI FRAUD Act, with bipartisan support in the House, also seeks to establish clear ground rules for AI usage. These proposals will help prevent AI from appropriating individuals’ identities without permission, curbing misinformation, identity theft, and hate-fueled content.
While critics may raise concerns about implications for news reporting or parodies, any proposed legislation should balance free speech protections with measures to prevent serious harms.
The music community will continue to advocate for freedom of speech while embracing responsible AI innovation. It’s up to us to shape AI’s future and ensure it aligns with our values.
