The musical artists, Billie Eilish, Robert Smith, Stevie Wonder, Nicki Minaj, and more have signed an open letter warning against the “predatory” use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music.
The signatories, who span more than 200 artists, include Billie Eilish, Jason Isbell, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, Nicki Minaj, Kacey Musgraves, Mac DeMarco, Jon Bon Jovi, Aimee Mann, Jadakiss, Sheryl Crow, Chappell Roan, and more.
On the 2nd of April, an Offer letter was issued, The artist-run nonprofit organization asks that developers, technology companies, and platforms and digital music services “pledge that they will not develop or deploy AI music-generation technology, content, or tools that undermine or replace the human artistry of songwriters and artists or deny us fair compensation for our work.”
The letter states: “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. When used irresponsibly, AI poses enormous threats to our ability to protect our privacy, our identities, our music and our livelihoods.”
The open letter continues: “Some of the biggest and most powerful companies are, without permission, using our work to train AI models. These efforts are directly aimed at replacing the work of human artists with massive quantities of AI-created “sounds” and “images” that substantially dilute the royalty pools that are paid out to artists. For many working musicians, artists and songwriters who are just trying to make ends meet, this would be catastrophic.”
“Unchecked, AI will set in motion a race to the bottom that will degrade the value of our work and prevent us from being fairly compensated for it. This assault on human creativity must be stopped. We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likeness, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.”
